Amy Winehouse has Emphysema

Amy Winehouse is afflicted with Emphysema.

In an interview, Mitch Winehouse told the Sunday Mirror:

"The doctors have told her if she goes back to smoking drugs it won't just ruin her voice, it will kill her. The doctors have said that if she had continued the way she was going she could have ended up an invalid, she wouldn't have been able to breathe."

With smoking the crack cocaine and the cigarettes, her lungs are all gunked up. There are nodules around the chest and dark marks. She's got 70 percent lung capacity.

If she doesn't go back to drugs, then she can lead this magnificent life. We are praying that that's what Amy really wants. She seems resolute."

So what's Emphysema?

Wikipedia defines it this way:

Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), formerly termed a chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD). It is often caused by exposure to toxic chemicals or long-term exposure to tobacco smoke.

Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity (increased compliance) of the lung tissue, from destruction of structures supporting the alveoli, and destruction of capillaries feeding the alveoli, due to the action of alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency. Thus the small airways collapse during exhalation, as alveolar collapsibility has increased. This impedes airflow and traps air in the lungs, as with other obstructive lung diseases. Symptoms include shortness of breath on exertion and later at rest, hyperventilation, and an expanded chest. Continue reading...

I hope Amy Winehouse gets well and can kick her smoking habits and whatever bad things it is that she is doing!