Emphysema is a disease that impacts the lungs gradually as the lung tissue degrades over time. The alveoli — the tiny air sacs in the lungs — are damaged and ruptured, creating one large air pocket, instead of remaining healthy and intact as a collection of small ones.
The damaged lung tissue traps air and prevents healthy oxygenation in the lungs and from moving systemically throughout the blood. The lungs fill slowly over time and make breathing increasingly more difficult.
Emphysema is classified into a group of lung diseases commonly referred to as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Once emphysema is developed, it can’t be cured or reversed.
In healthy lungs, there are roughly 300 million alveoli — as you breathe, these tiny air sacs expand, bringing oxygen in and supporting blood circulation. As you exhale, the lung tissue shrinks and expels carbon dioxide.
As emphysema advances, the tiny alveoli are destroyed, and they’re no longer able to support the bronchial tubes, causing an obstruction.
More than one million people in the US have been diagnosed and are living with emphysema
Emphysema is strongly linked to smoking, making it a very preventable respiratory disease
More than one million people in the US have been diagnosed and are living with emphysema
Emphysema can be diagnosed through chest X-rays and pulse oximetry
Smoking is the number one cause of emphysema, but both indoor and outdoor air pollution, genetic components (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency), and other respiratory infections can play a role in developing emphysema.
While it’s vital to get a clinical diagnosis, emphysema can emerge as shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing, wheezing, and more mucus production. It’s important to recognize these symptoms, because oftentimes, more than 50 percent of lung tissue has already been destroyed.
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