Emphysema

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Basics

• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Emphysema is a type of COPD involving damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. As a result, your body does not get the oxygen it needs. Emphysema makes it hard to catch your breath. You may also have a chronic cough and have trouble breathing during exercise.

The most common cause is cigarette smoking. If you smoke, quitting can help prevent you from getting the disease. If you already have emphysema, not smoking might keep it from getting worse. Treatment is based on whether your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe. Treatments include inhalers, oxygen, medications and sometimes surgery to relieve symptoms and prevent complications.

Diagnosis and Tests

• Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Pulmonary Function Tests (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Spirometry (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Treatments and Therapies

• COPD Medicine (National Jewish Health)
• Lung Transplant (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Surgery (American Lung Association)

Living With

• Oxygen Therapy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Staying Healthy (American Association for Respiratory Care)

Related Issues

• Hyperinflated Lungs: What Does It Mean? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Inherited Emphysema) (National Jewish Health) - PDF
• Emphysema and Alpha-1 (American Association for Respiratory Care)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Includes: Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Emphysema (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium as rare complications after retroperitoneal transpsoas lateral...
• Article: Emphysematous pyelonephritis and cystitis in a patient with uremia and...
• Article: The safety and efficacy of endobronchialvalve therapy in patients with...
• Emphysema -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• How Lungs Work (American Lung Association)
• How the Lungs Work (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Patient Handouts

• How to breathe when you are short of breath (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Lung diffusion testing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Lung surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary function tests (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Traveling with breathing problems (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Using oxygen at home (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish