Emphysema is a chronic disease that in most cases could be prevented, as approximately 80 percent of the cases are caused by smoking cigarettes, according to Cedars Sinai. Emphysema is a respiratory disease that is often associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a condition that occurs when air flow is limited. Treatment of emphysema can slow the progression of the disease, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic, but will not reverse the lung damage that has already occurred.
Breathing Difficulties
Symptoms often begin slowly, with labored breathing during periods of activity. Patients may become short of breath, wheeze or feel tightness in the chest. As the disease progresses, breathing may be difficult even when sitting or lying down.
Lung irritants, including cigarettes, cigars, chemical fumes and air pollution, can damage the cilia (small hairs) that cover the bronchioles (air tubes leading to the lungs). The cilia are responsible for keeping the air passages clean. Without cilia, germs and other irritants enter the lungs and cause inflammation of the alveoli (balloon-like air sacs), reducing their elasticity and interfering with their ability to push air in and out and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Emphysema is a condition characterized by the inability to expel air. Because the alveoli are no longer elastic, they can over-expand with air and rupture, causing one large air sac instead of many tiny ones. This large air sac is ineffective in expelling air completely, leading to these breathing difficulties.
Fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom of emphysema that is caused by a lack of circulating oxygen. As the alveoli lose their elasticity, they may be unable to fully fill with air, which reduces the amount of oxygen available to enter the blood. Less oxygen in the blood means less oxygen available to the muscles and other organs.
Chronic Cough
Emphysema often causes a chronic mild cough. A cough is an automatic reflex triggered by a foreign invader to the lungs. Since emphysema is caused by irritants, the cough may be in response to those irritants.
There is evidence, though, that the cough may not be a necessary cough, meaning it is not induced in order to clear the lungs, but instead often becomes a habit, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Once started it is hard to control because coughing can cause a bronchospasm which causes more coughing. Also a chronic cough can damage the lining of the bronchioles which triggers more coughing.
Weight Loss
Because so much energy is expended trying to breathe, activities such as eating become much more difficult. The simple act of eating can make breathing more labored, and without eating, there is less energy put towards breathing. This cycle leads to a loss of appetite and weight loss.
