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Researchers say blood test may detect emphysema early, encourage smokers to quit
Zeenews.com
WASHINGTON — Scientists are inching closer to developing a new blood test to detect early emphysema in smokers, a possible breakthrough which they say could help prevent thousands of deaths from the common lung diseases every year.
Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that damages to the air sacs in the lungs, causing trouble in breathing. It occurs mostly because of smoking.
Researchers at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center said the blood test they are developing can help warn smokers about impending development of the disease — which is currently a major cause of disability and death in the US.
Not all smokers develop emphysema, but those who find out they are at risk will be motivated to quit, said Ronald Crystal, MD, who led the study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“We know, from other studies, that smokers who learn from objective evidence that their health is in danger are much more likely to quit. That is the only thing that will help them avoid this deadly disorder,” he said.
