![]() ![]() The air sac walls contain tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that enable oxygen to enter the bloodstream while letting carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body, to exit the bloodstream. When a healthy person inhales, the oxygen-rich air travels through the large airways (bronchi) and then smaller airways (bronchioles) that branch off of larger airways, and ultimately ends in numerous air sacs (alveoli). Since the most common cause of COPD is smoking, it is considered a preventable health condition. ![]() COPD is an umbrella term for various progressive lung diseases caused by damage to the lung tissue via smoking and other similar exposures over time, making breathing difficult. In serious cases, emphysema can lead to life-threatening complications or death.Įmphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is no cure for emphysema, but treatments are available that focus on helping patients breathe easier and improving their quality of life. Over time, however, as breathing difficulties and other symptoms arise, people are prompted to seek help. Initially, people with emphysema may not realize that they have this condition because the disease is silent at first and symptoms only appear after more than half of the lung tissue has been damaged or destroyed. ![]() A rare inherited condition known as alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency can predispose people, especially if they smoke, to developing early-onset emphysema. The most common cause of this damage is smoking, although long-term exposure to chemicals or pollutants in the environment can also lead to emphysema.Ībout 15% of smokers are diagnosed with emphysema, typically in their 40s or 50s. Emphysema is caused by permanent damage to the lungs, making it hard for a person to breathe. Emphysema is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. ![]()
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