Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Emphysema

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

When you breathe, air travels to your lungs through airways called bronchi. The bronchi divide into smaller airways, called bronchioles, which end in clusters of tiny air sacs, called alveoli. Emphysema, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, affects the walls of the millions of tiny air sacs in the lungs, which become inflamed and loose elasticity, causing the bronchioles to collapse. As a result, air becomes trapped in the air sacks, which become overstretched and may rupture, greatly affecting a person's ability to breathe normally.

The leading cause of emphysema is cigarette smoking. Other risks factors include air pollution, occupational exposure to dust and chemicals, frequent lower respiratory infections and second hand smoke. In rare cases, the genetic disorder -- alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency -- causes emphysema.

A person with emphysema will have shortness of breath -- during physical activity and when the condition is more advanced, also during rest. Patients may eventually need supplemental oxygen and may have to rely on mechanical respiratory devices. Other symptoms of emphysema include chronic cough, frequent respiratory infections, reduced appetite, weight loss and fatigue.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated January 22, 2009