emphysema

Examples of emphysema in the following topics:

• Aging and the Respiratory System

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the occurrence of chronic bronchitis or emphysema, a pair of commonly coexisting lung disease in which airways become narrowed.
  • Some types of emphysema occur as a normal part of aging, commonly in those older than age 85.
  • Together, such age-related changes in respiratory system structures can cause or contribute to the development of emphysema.
  • Though not all elderly people will develop clinically evident emphysema, all are at risk of decreasing respiratory function, which limits maximum lung performance and causes discomfort at higher levels of exertion.
  • Emphysema is a common lung disease in the elderly.

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the occurrence of chronic bronchitis or emphysema.
  • Another factor contributing to shortness of breath in COPD is the loss of the surface area available for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with emphysema.
  • A person with emphysema may have to breathe faster or more deeply to compensate, which can be difficult to do if there is also flow limitation or hyperinflation.Some people with advanced COPD do manage to breathe fast to compensate, but usually have dyspnea as a result.
  • Complete pulmonary function tests with measurements of lung volumes and gas transfer may also show hyperinflation and can discriminate between COPD with emphysema and COPD without emphysema.
  • A high-resolution computed tomography scan of the chest may show the distribution of emphysema throughout the lungs and can also be useful to exclude other lung diseases.

• Factors Affecting Pulmonary Ventilation: Compliance of the Lungs

  • High lung compliance is commonly seen in those with obstructive diseases, such of emphysema, in which destruction of the elastic tissue of the lungs from cigarette smoke exposure causes a loss of elastic recoil of the lung.
  • Those with emphysema have considerable difficulty with exhaling breaths and tend to take fast shallow breaths and tend to sit in a hunched-over position in order to make exhalation easier.

• Effects of Smoking

  • Tobacco use leads most commonly to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), and cancer (particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer).

• Uses of Oxygen

  • Oxygen therapy is used to treat emphysema, pneumonia, some heart disorders (congestive heart failure), some disorders that cause increased pulmonary artery pressure, as well as any disease that impairs the body's ability to take up and use gaseous oxygen.

• The Work of Breathing

  • Obstructive diseases and conditions include emphysema, asthma, and pulmonary edema.
  • In emphysema, which mostly arises from smoking tobacco, the walls of the alveoli are destroyed, decreasing the surface area for gas exchange.

• Asthma

  • Although asthma is a chronic obstructive condition, it is not considered as a part of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as this term refers specifically to irreversible combinations of disease such as bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.
  • In contrast to emphysema, asthma affects the bronchi, not the alveoli.

• Acidosis

  • Pneumothorax, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, severe pneumonia, and aspiration are among the most frequent causes.
  • However, in cases where chronic illnesses that compromise pulmonary function persist, such as late-stage emphysema and certain types of muscular dystrophy, compensatory mechanisms will be unable to reverse this acidotic condition.

• Syncope

  • There are many other causes of syncope, including low blood sugar levels and lung disease such as emphysema and a pulmonary embolus.

• Breathing Patterns

  • It is a common symptom of anxiety attacks, pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and emphysema, among other things.