Oorain, nothing like a little exaggeration is there...
That'll be the day when a smoker gets a lung transplant in Australia. Most probably go to young people with cystic fibrosis or those with cardiac muscle failure from cardiomyopathy.
Emphysema - what treatment??? The only one I'm aware of is a low oxygen machine which patients hire or buy for themselves in the latter stages of the disease and operate at home with nasal specs, for symptom relief only. The GP may also prescribe a ventolin inhaler to open up the airways, but haven't met a sufferer who has found it effective. Some end up in nursing homes or following acute symptom escalation, in hospitals, but so too do many others who never smoked.
Also some people will get emphysema as young as 20 years of age thanks to a genetic pre-disposition. There are also those who develop it secondary to exposure to irritants such as dust, chemicals or fumes in the workplace.
