EMPHYSEMA – INTRODUCTION
May 15th, 2009 | Posted by admin | Category: General healthNo Comments
Lung tissue consists of many small, thin-walled air sacs, called alveoli.
Air is carried down the bronchial tubes to these air sacs, and the gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide pass to and fro across these to the blood in the thin-walled capillaries.
In emphysema, there is a reduction in the number of alveoli and an increase in their size.
This reduces the total surface area of the air sacs, and as the gases are exchanged across the surface this leads to a reduction in the amount of available lung tissue.
The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath.
As well as this distension of the air sacs, there is usually an associated spasm or constriction of the bronchial tubes, which makes it difficult for the air to move in and out.
There are many causes of emphysema — usually several acting together.
It is a disease which appears to run in families. It may occur in the young, although it is more common in the late middle-aged and the elderly.
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