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Emphysema is a chronic lung condition caused by exposure to pollutants, most commonly cigarette smoke. It causes difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and a chronic cough. Treatment includes medication and breathing exercises, and quitting smoking can slow the progression of the disease.
Emphysema is a chronic condition that affects the lungs. Individuals with this condition gradually lose the natural elasticity of the lung’s air sacs, which causes difficulty breathing and often painful or uncomfortable breathing. As elasticity is lost, tiny holes begin to form in the lung tissue and the air sacs become damaged. Over time, emphysema leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which in turn affects the heart.
A gradual and progressive condition, emphysema results from years of exposure to chemical pollutants, most often from cigarette smoke. In some cases, it is caused by workplace and environmental air pollutants, and in a very small percentage of people, the condition is caused by an inherited chemical imbalance in the lung tissue. This rare inherited condition is known as early-onset emphysema or AAT deficiency-related emphysema.
Symptoms of emphysema include tightness in the chest, painful or difficult breathing, shortness of breath after mild exercise or exertion, and a chronic cough, all caused by the progressive destruction of lung tissue and air sacs. Often, the condition is diagnosed in patients who have previously had chronic bronchitis but are no longer responding to antibiotics. Emphysema makes it more difficult for the lungs to pass oxygen into the bloodstream. Over time, as the air sacs become damaged further, the person may find that simply walking a short distance causes shortness of breath.
Emphysema is a life-threatening condition, but treatments exist to make living with the disease more comfortable. This includes bronchodilators, prescription drugs that relax the airways, to relieve narrowed airways, and breathing exercises to strengthen the lungs. In severe cases, a lung transplant may be performed.
More men than women get emphysema, but the people who do are almost always smokers or those who are regularly exposed to cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoking is estimated to be the cause of nearly 80% of all lung disease, including emphysema. Quitting smoking will help slow the progression of the disease.
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