Amy Winehouse has Emphysema
23 June 2008
AMY WINEHOUSE is suffering from the potentially fatal lung condition emphysema, her dad has revealed.
The Back To Black hitmaker was admitted to a private clinic in Marylebone, London last Monday (16Jun08) after collapsing at her home in the British capital.
She tested negative for tuberculosis on Friday (20Jun08), but her father Mitch has now confirmed she is seriously ill with emphysema - a condition usually caused by heavy smoking and drug taking.
And he fears his Grammy winning daughter, who was also found to have "irregular heartbeats", will end up like his own mother Cynthia - who was forced to breathe through an aspirator before dying of lung cancer in 2006.
He tells Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper, "She's got emphysema. It's in its early stages, but had it gone on for another month, (doctors) painted a very vivid picture of her sitting there like an old person with a mask on her face struggling 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 per cent lung capacity. To think this could happen to my beautiful 24-year-old daughter's life is preposterous. But if drugs mean more to her than breathing properly, then so be it. But the doctors have told her if she goes back to smoking drugs, it won't just ruin her voice, it will kill her..."
And Mitch claims the singer has suffered another health scare during her time in hospital - a scan revealed a lump in her chest, although it is not cancerous.
He adds, "After lots of tests they found a lump in Amy's chest. A scan has shown it's not cancerous and there are no traces of cancer in her blood. But they might need to double check. There is a chance she might need a biopsy. If they need to cut the lump out then that will mean a massive and painful operation and a lot of recuperation. At the moment, that doesn't look likely."
Winehouse is still undergoing treatment and doctors will soon decide whether she is fit to honour her upcoming performance commitments - including an appearance at legendary British music festival Glastonbury at the end of the month (Jun08).
