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What is emphysema?

Emphysema is a lung disease that results from damage to the walls of the alveoli in your lungs. A blockage (obstruction) may develop, which traps air inside your lungs. If you have too much air trapped in your lungs, your chest may appear fuller or have a barrel-chested appearance. With fewer alveoli, less oxygen moves into your bloodstream.

Alveoli are small, thin-walled, fragile air sacs arranged in clusters at the end of the bronchial tubes (airways) deep inside your lungs. In a typical set of lungs, there are about 300 million alveoli. As you breathe in air (inhale), the air travels through the bronchial tubes until it reaches the alveoli. Once the air gets there, the alveoli stretch, draw in oxygen and transport oxygen to your blood. As you breathe out air (exhale), your alveoli shrink and force carbon dioxide out of your body.

Think of your lungs as bubble wrap. The alveoli are like individual bubbles in bubble wrap. If you have emphysema, your alveoli eventually break. Instead of many tiny bubble wrap bubbles, you develop a large air pocket, like a big shipping air pillow. This damage causes your lungs’ overall surface area to shrink, and it makes it hard to get fresh air in and out of your lungs. This makes your breathing difficult and makes you short of breath.

Emphysema usually develops after many years of smoking. However, emphysema has other causes. These include: