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Amy Winehouse, 24, Probably Too Young to Have Emphysema, Pulmonologist Says
The Associated Press
It’s not unusual for Amy Winehouse to surprise or even shock her fans. But after the 24-year-old British singer collapsed at her London home earlier last month, a diagnosis of emphysema was probably not what anyone expected.
Amy Winehouse’s father initially said his daughter was diagnosed with emphysema after she collapsed at her London home last month. Emphysema at Winehouse’s age would be extremely rare, according to experts. Her father later said she had damage to her lungs that could become emphysema if she didn’t stop smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine.
Winehouse’s father, Mitch, was quoted as saying that she had “dark marks” around her chest and had lost lung capacity. He attributed the damage to her cigarette smoking and abuse of drugs, including smoking crack cocaine.
It would be very unusual for someone Winehouse’s age to develop emphysema, said Dr. Robert Schilz, director of lung transplantation and pulmonary vascular disease at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
