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Emphysema: Symptoms & Causes Diagnosis & Treatment Doctors & Departments Print

This document provides information about emphysema, a lung condition caused by damage to air sacs in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath that worsens over time. Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema. The damage from emphysema can't be reversed, but treatment can help slow the progression. Doctors use diagnostic tests to evaluate lung function and determine if a patient has emphysema.

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158 views4 pages

Emphysema: Symptoms & Causes Diagnosis & Treatment Doctors & Departments Print

This document provides information about emphysema, a lung condition caused by damage to air sacs in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath that worsens over time. Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema. The damage from emphysema can't be reversed, but treatment can help slow the progression. Doctors use diagnostic tests to evaluate lung function and determine if a patient has emphysema.

Uploaded by

Alfrien Ivanovich Larchson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Emphysema

 Symptoms & causes


 Diagnosis & treatment
 Doctors & departments

Print

Overview

EmphysemaOpen pop-up dialog box

Emphysema is a lung condition that causes shortness of breath. In people with


emphysema, the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged. Over time, the inner walls
of the air sacs weaken and rupture — creating larger air spaces instead of many small
ones. This reduces the surface area of the lungs and, in turn, the amount of oxygen that
reaches your bloodstream.

When you exhale, the damaged alveoli don't work properly and old air becomes
trapped, leaving no room for fresh, oxygen-rich air to enter.

Most people with emphysema also have chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is
inflammation of the tubes that carry air to your lungs (bronchial tubes), which leads to a
persistent cough.

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two conditions that make up chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Treatment may
slow the progression of COPD, but it can't reverse the damage.

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Symptoms

You can have emphysema for many years without noticing any signs or symptoms. The
main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath, which usually begins gradually.

You may start avoiding activities that cause you to be short of breath, so the symptom
doesn't become a problem until it starts interfering with daily tasks. Emphysema
eventually causes shortness of breath even while you're at rest.

When to see a doctor

See your doctor if you've had unexplained shortness of breath for several months,
especially if it's getting worse or it's interfering with your daily activities. Don't ignore it by
telling yourself it's because you're aging or out of shape. Seek immediate medical
attention if:
 You're so short of breath, you can't climb stairs

 Your lips or fingernails turn blue or gray with exertion

 You're not mentally alert


Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic

Causes

The main cause of emphysema is long-term exposure to airborne irritants, including:

 Tobacco smoke

 Marijuana smoke

 Air pollution

 Chemical fumes and dust

Rarely, emphysema is caused by an inherited deficiency of a protein that protects the


elastic structures in the lungs. It's called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency emphysema.

Risk factors

Factors that increase your risk of developing emphysema include:

 Smoking. Emphysema is most likely to develop in cigarette smokers, but cigar


and pipe smokers also are susceptible. The risk for all types of smokers increases
with the number of years and amount of tobacco smoked.

 Age. Although the lung damage that occurs in emphysema develops gradually,


most people with tobacco-related emphysema begin to experience symptoms of
the disease between the ages of 40 and 60.

 Exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke, also known as passive


or environmental tobacco smoke, is smoke that you inadvertently inhale from
someone else's cigarette, pipe or cigar. Being around secondhand smoke
increases your risk of emphysema.
 Occupational exposure to fumes or dust. If you breathe fumes from certain
chemicals or dust from grain, cotton, wood or mining products, you're more likely to
develop emphysema. This risk is even greater if you smoke.

 Exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution. Breathing indoor pollutants, such


as fumes from heating fuel, as well as outdoor pollutants — car exhaust, for
instance — increases your risk of emphysema.

Complications

People who have emphysema are also more likely to develop:

 Collapsed lung (pneumothorax). A collapsed lung can be life-threatening in


people who have severe emphysema, because the function of their lungs is
already so compromised. This is uncommon but serious when it occurs.

 Heart problems. Emphysema can increase the pressure in the arteries that


connect the heart and lungs. This can cause a condition called cor pulmonale, in
which a section of the heart expands and weakens.

 Large holes in the lungs (bullae). Some people with emphysema develop


empty spaces in the lungs called bullae. They can be as large as half the lung. In
addition to reducing the amount of space available for the lung to expand, giant
bullae can increase your risk of pneumothorax.
More Information

 Hyperinflated lungs: What does it mean?

Prevention

To prevent emphysema, don't smoke and avoid breathing secondhand smoke. Wear a
mask to protect your lungs if you work with chemical fumes or dust.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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