National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Congenital lobar emphysema



Other Names:
CLE; Emphysema, congenital lobar
Categories:

Congenital lobar emphysema is a rare respiratory disorder in which air can enter the lungs but cannot escape, causing overinflation (hyperinflation) of the lobes of the lung. It is most often detected in newborns or young infants, but some cases do not become apparent until adulthood. Signs and symptoms may include difficulty breathing and respiratory distress in infancy, an enlarged chest, compressed lung tissue, cyanosis, and underdevelopment of the cartilage that supports the bronchial tube (bronchial hypoplasia). This disorder may be severe enough to cause associated heart problems (15% of cases) or so mild as to never become apparent. Some cases may be caused by autosomal dominant inheritance while others occur for no apparent reason (sporadic).[1]
Last updated: 10/10/2011

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Emphysema 0002097
Respiratory distress
Breathing difficulties
Difficulty breathing
[ more ]
0002098
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of immune system physiology 0010978
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Bronchial cartilage hypoplasia
Underdevelopment of the bronical cartilage
0006539
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Respiratory distress and radiolucency in chest X rays can lead to a misdiagnosis of tension pneumothorax. Differential diagnoses also include congenital pulmonary airway malformation, pneumonia, bronchiolitis and foreign body aspiration.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Providing General Support


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Congenital lobar emphysema. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Congenital lobar emphysema. National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). 2003; http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/922/viewAbstract. Accessed 10/10/2011.