Emphysema

Emphysema is a lung disease that results from damage to the walls of the alveoli in your lungs. A blockage (obstruction) may develop, which traps air inside your lungs. If you have too much air trapped in your lungs, your chest may appear fuller or have a barrel-chested appearance. With fewer alveoli, less oxygen moves into your bloodstream.

Alveoli are small, thin-walled, fragile air sacs arranged in clusters at the end of the bronchial tubes (airways) deep inside your lungs. In a typical set of lungs, there are about 300 million alveoli. As you breathe in air (inhale), the air travels through the bronchial tubes until it reaches the alveoli. Once the air gets there, the alveoli stretch, draw in oxygen and transport oxygen to your blood. As you breathe out air (exhale), your alveoli shrink and force carbon dioxide out of your body.

Think of your lungs as bubble wrap. The alveoli are like individual bubbles in bubble wrap. If you have emphysema, your alveoli eventually break. Instead of many tiny bubble wrap bubbles, you develop a large air pocket, like a big shipping air pillow. This damage causes your lungs’ overall surface area to shrink, and it makes it hard to get fresh air in and out of your lungs. This makes your breathing difficult and makes you short of breath.

Emphysema usually develops after many years of smoking. However, emphysema has other causes. These include:

• Air pollutants in your home or workplace.
• Genetic (inherited) factors such as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
• Respiratory infections.

What is the difference between emphysema and COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term that includes a range of progressive lung diseases. These diseases include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Sometimes people with COPD also have asthma.

What is the difference between emphysema and chronic bronchitis?

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are both types of COPD. Many people have them both at the same time.

Emphysema is a lung disease that damages the alveoli in your lungs. The primary symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath.

Chronic bronchitis is a lung condition that destroys the cilia in your airways. Cilia are hair-like parts (organelles) of cells that move germs and other debris out of your airways. The primary symptom of chronic bronchitis is mucus production, including a wet cough that produces thick, discolored (yellow, green or yellow-grey) mucus from your lungs (productive cough). Emphysema has more symptoms, including shortness of breath and cough.

What are the stages of emphysema?

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) categorizes COPD in four stages. Emphysema is a cause of COPD, but not all patients with emphysema have COPD. Healthcare providers use the COPD stages to help describe emphysema. The stages are:

• Stage 1. This is the mildest stage of emphysema. Your lungs operate at least 80% as well as the healthy lungs of someone who’s the same age, height and sex.
• Stage 2. This is moderate emphysema. Your lungs operate between 50% and 79% as well as the healthy lungs of someone who’s the same age, height and sex.
• Stage 3. This is severe emphysema. Your lungs operate between 30% and 49% as well as the healthy lungs of someone who’s the same age, height and sex.
• Stage 4. This is very severe emphysema. Your lungs operate less than 30% as well as the healthy lungs of someone who’s the same age, height and sex.

Who does emphysema affect?

Emphysema most commonly affects men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) between the ages of 50 and 70. However, it also affects women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) and may be diagnosed in people as young as 40.

How common is emphysema?

Over 3 million people in the United States have emphysema.

What is the life expectancy of a person with emphysema?

Life expectancy varies according to your age and stage of emphysema. Whether you smoked, used to smoke or never smoked also factors into your life expectancy. Smoking reduces your life expectancy by 3.5 years. Genetic factors also play a role in one’s life expectancy.

Men and people AMAB between 50 and 70 are the most likely group to have emphysema.