Emphysema
doctor. You may not have it checked out because
it may seem like you are just “out of shape."
Often emphysema has already caused a lot of
damage by the time you know you have it. As
emphysema gets worse, you begin to have more
trouble breathing. You may have frequent lung
infections, a lot of mucus in your airways
(especially in the mornings), and wheezing.
How do healthy lungs work?
Emphysema is a disease that occurs when tiny
air sacs in the lungs are damaged and destroyed.
It causes shortness of breath and breathing
problems that get worse over time. It is a form
of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD).
What causes emphysema?
Emphysema is most often caused by long-term
smoking. Less often, it can be caused by
breathing other harmful materials. A rare form
of emphysema is passed down in families
(inherited).
What are the signs of emphysema?
Emphysema usually starts as shortness of breath.
You may notice it when you go up the stairs or
walk quickly. It may be a long time before you
realize you have emphysema or go to your
There are airways in your lungs called
bronchioles that divide into very small branches.
The branches end in tiny air sacs called alveoli.
The air sacs in your lungs are surrounded by
tiny blood vessels. When you breathe in, oxygen
moves out of the air sacs and into the blood
vessels and then on to your bloodstream. At the
same time, carbon dioxide moves out of your
blood and into the air sacs. You remove the
carbon dioxide from your lungs when you
breathe out. This process is called respiration.
What happens when you have
emphysema?
With emphysema, the air sacs at the end of your
airways are damaged and destroyed. The walls
between the sacs break down, making fewer and
larger sacs. The larger air sacs have fewer blood
vessels, so they move less oxygen into the blood
and less carbon dioxide out. Once the air sacs
are damaged, they cannot be replaced. Your
lungs and air passages also may become floppy,
so they have trouble getting stale air out and
fresh air in.
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2013-02-zu1531