I smoked like a chimney.
My older sister never smoked a day in her life and we were raised in a non smoking home---environmental? a genetic marker not known yet.

Sorry i can't be of more help, but there is more to this than just smoking. Didn't you say you had other health problems? Could the be related somehow?

Hello Rosalee. I also smoked my ass off for more years than I care to remember and worked in a very toxic environment. So, take your pick - smoking or the air we breathe. As Jarca pointed out, there's the possibility of genetics - have you been tested yet?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, for me, it's more important to know how to live with this disease and move forward rather than stressing over what caused it in the first place. What's done is done. Who knows how long I'll be on this planet so I strive make the most of whatever time I have left by doing the best I can, being happy and content .

Take care.

Oops, I also meant to say that "by doing the best I can" includes taking control of my home environment, i.e. getting rid of those harmful household chemicals - aerosols, drain cleaners, amonia based laundry products, bug spray, air freshners, perfumed candles, pet dander, mold, carpet dust, and...and...and ,...anything that takes your breath away. Instead, sprinkle a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar or lemon juice onto a micro fibre dusting towel to catch surface dust - does a great job on my windows and granite work tops in the kitchen too.

I bought a water filtration vacuum cleaner and was horrified, disgusted and ashamed by the muck that got trapped in the water. Urgh!!!! To think I was living and breathing that dirt in the carpets. If I could afford it, I'd pull up all the carpets and lay wood laminates.

My emphysema was caused by smoking.

In light of where you live, I'm wondering if coal dust might be the cause. Even if you don't live near a coal mine, you can be exposed to coal dust if you live near where coal is transported (roadway or railroad track).

I know I need to focus on the positive, but it just worries me now about what I need to protect my kids from. I am still just trying to accept I have it and become as educated as possible. I have many BP issues so I have been wondering if pulmonary hypertension could be involved. I had a PFT in 2011 before I started working for a natural gas company and my lung function was great. A lot of exhaust, bleach, paint, and dust and mold, I stayed sick the entire time I worked there. Flu, strep, bronchitis, upper respiratory infections, you name it. I am guessing this may have been the culprit, and yes there is a lot of coal dust here too.

I don't get to see the Pulmonologist until May 7th, I think I will feel better once I get that appointment over with.

Thank you all!

I beleive that coal dust causes "black Lung" that is in the ILD class of lung diseases.

COPD has many causes, but there are also ILD (interstitial lung diseases) that are "restrictive" rather than "obstructive.
Pulmonary fibrosis is the scarring & is a disease in itself. It can be caused by silica (rock dust), Molds, Immune deficiencies like RA, Lupus, sarcoidosis etc. (or be "idiopathic"= IPF)

Most pulmonologists know and specialize in COPD because it is so common, (although with new technology, many with COPD are being found to have ILD's & their dx changed or it added after an HRCT as mine was)

Mayo says it best :)
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/interstitial-lung-disease/basics/causes/con-20024481

ps. the reason i ask, is i can't find much information on "panlobular" emphysema---so i am curious if it obstructive or restrictive disease?

I was where you are now when diagnosed with emphysema and then asthma. I never smoked and I was on a quest to find out how and why me. Second hand smoke and pollution was the answer my Pulmonologhist came up with. Since I could do nothing about either one, I just decided to fight it as hard as I could. Hope you get the answers you're looking for and fight really hard!
Linda

I have never smoked and have been told I have both emphysema and asthma with good health prior to this year. I am not aware of exposure to specific pollutants. I have old carpet and I have pets, but nothing extraordinary. I do not have the genetic thing. I saw 2 pulmonologists who helped with info, but still left me a little uncertain. My last PFT was not so great but I've been feeling okay mostly do I go with that. No idea what triggered this in me.

Thank you all, at least I don't feel like the only one here with emphysema that didn't smoke.

Jarca-from what I have read, panlobular is found more in those who have the AAT deficiency, and that it affects the whole lung and sometimes more of the bottom lobes. It also says that it is usually seen more in the severe stages, but as of right now they are saying I am not deficient in the AAT protein and I am supposed to be in the mild stage. Where centrilobular is seen more in smokers and paraseptical is seen more in young smokers. I really haven't found as much info as I would like on it either.

I hope to get to a place where I can just accept the situation, understand it, and become as educated as I can to keep it from progressing. I am 41 and have too much to live for not to fight. :)

Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product of radium. Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings, especially in confined areas such as attics, and basements.

Epidemiological evidence shows a clear link between lung cancer and high concentrations of radon, with 21,000 radon-induced U.S. lung cancer deaths per yearsecond only to cigarette smoking.

In geographic areas where radon is present in heightened concentrations, radon is considered a significant indoor air contaminant. Both human and animal studies indicate that the lung and respiratory system are the primary targets of radon.

unfortunately it doesn't matter that you never smoked, people who have never smoked can still get lung cancer too. These awful diseases just seem to choose whoever they want sometimes, regardless of that person's lifestyle. It could be environmental or genetic that caused you to get it. I had 2 uncles who suffered & passed away from emphysema & they never smoked but they were farmers. Good luck to you with finding the answers you're searching for.

Rosalee,

PH= Pulmonary Hypertension; doesn't show up in the cuff like regular BP so your BP issues might be related to your lungs, but wouldn't show PH
I just had an echocardiogram (ECG) to see if i had PH = It was part of ALL the basic/standard tests my Pulm just did on me.
another item you might put on your "list of questions" for your pulm appointment.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/basics/definition/con-20030959

There is absolutely no evidence of any concentration of radium found in residential homes causing lung cancer or any other health problem. Of all the things we on COPD have to worry about we can scratch that scam off our list. Smile.

It is unlikely that radon gas is a scam when Wikipedia, epa.gov, cancer.gov, who.int, floridahealth.gov, cdc.gov, interiorhealth.ca all clearly state that radon gas is dangerous in many locations to residents of homes. If in doubt, Google it.