What is Emphysema?

Emphysema is a long-term lung condition. It is one of several lung conditions that, as a group, are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Your lungs are made up of many little air sacs, called alveoli. In people with emphysema, the walls of the alveoli are damaged. This causes the small airways in your lungs to collapse when you breathe out. This makes it hard for air to flow into your lungs and even harder for it to flow out. The damage also makes the alveoli become bigger and less elastic. Over time, your lung tissue becomes stiff and cannot take oxygen into your body as effectively.

Symptoms of Emphysema

The symptoms of emphysema depend on how severe the underlying lung damage has become.

People with emphysema are often short of breath. As the damage progresses, the periods of breathlessness become more frequent. It becomes harder to do everyday activities or to exercise. Your breathing becomes easier when you rest. Eventually you might become short of breath even after very little physical activity.

People with emphysema may also have:

• A persistent cough
• Phlegm
• Wheezing
• Weight loss
• Muscle weakness
• Breathing Problems
• Chronic cough
• Rapid breathing
• Wheezing
• Reduced tolerance to exercise
• Appetite loss

At times, your symptoms may get worse suddenly. This is known as an exacerbation of COPD. Exacerbations are often caused by respiratory (lung) infections.

Causes of Emphysema

The most common cause of emphysema is smoking. One in every 4 or 5 people who smoke will develop COPD. You are still at risk if you have smoked in the past.

A very small number of people get emphysema because they inherited a faulty gene. This is called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. It means they are missing a protein that normally helps to keep the air sacs of the lungs healthy.

Other causes of emphysema include:

• Passive smoking — including if your parents smoked When you were young
• Exposure to industrial dust and chemicals
• Exposure to air pollution

Whatever the cause, smoking makes emphysema worse.

How is Emphysema Diagnosed?

Most people with emphysema are diagnosed after age 45 years, although if you have a faulty gene, you may be diagnosed earlier.

Your doctor can diagnose emphysema by talking to you, examining you and doing a breathing test called spirometry, which measures how well your lungs work.

They may also arrange:

• Blood tests
• A chest x-ray
• A blood test from an artery to check your oxygen levels
• Further breathing tests, called lung function tests
• A CT scan of your lungs
• An ECG (electrocardiogram) or echocardiogram to look at your heart

What are the Risk Factors for Emphysema?

People, particularly older adults, are at increased risk of emphysema if they:

• Smoke
• Vape
• Are exposed to secondhand smoke
• Live in an area with air pollution
• Are exposed to cooking fires
• Breathe in chemical fumes
• Are frequently exposed to dust in high amounts
• Have chronic lung infections
• Have Inherited AAT deficiency
• Have a family history of emphysema, COPD, or other chronic respiratory conditions
• Use intravenous recreational drugs
• Have been diagnosed with HIV

What are the Complications of Emphysema?

Emphysema can make you more likely to develop:

• Respiratory (lung) infections
• Heart failure and ischaemic heart disease
• Osteoporosis and fractures
• Anxiety and depression
• Lung cancer
• Gastro-oesophageal reflux
• Type 2 diabetes

What is the Outlook for People with Emphysema?

Lung damage caused by emphysema is permanent and the condition is considered incurable. However, a lot can be done to lessen the symptoms, improve quality of life, and decrease the risk of fatal complications. The most important of these interventions is prevention of further damage by avoiding smoking.

For some people, complications of emphysema can cause death. Individuals are more likely to experience life-threatening complications, including pneumonia or respiratory failure, if they have genetic or chronic conditions such as:

• Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD)
• Asthma
• Heart disease like, Costochondritis,
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Diabetes
• Bronchiectasis, a rare condition that causes irreversible damage to the lung’s airways

Reference:

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/emphysema

https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/emphysema