The most common cause is smoking

Emphysema is lasix 14 mg a type of lung diseases classified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is irreversible and progressive condition characterized by inflammation and reduced airflow in the lungs. Emphysema often occurs in conjunction with chronic bronchitis. The most common cause is smoking

. Lungs are the main bodies of the respiratory system. During inhalation >> << body sucks air through the nose and mouth. This oxygen rich air through the passages in the throat (eg, pharynx, larynx), windpipe through (trachea), through the bronchial tree (eg, bronchi, bronchioles bronchioles), and

air sacs (alveoli called) in lungs. In the alveoli, oxygen is transferred from the low oxygen content of erythrocytes in blood vessels called capillaries. Oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart and is pumped throughout the body. During exhalation, carbon dioxide (CO2) is transferred from the blood into the space between the air sacs (called alveolar space) and expired on the body. There are about 3000000 alveoli in the lungs. These tiny, thin-walled air sacs lined with substance (called surfactant) that reduces the pressure in the alveoli and prevents them from destruction during breathing. Other substances in the walls of the alveoli (eg, elastin, collagen) allow air bags to the "compression" during exhalation. Emphysema results continued expansion of the alveoli and damage the walls of air sacs. Walls of the alveoli lose their ability to expand and shrink (analogous to the congested ball), the air sacs become weak, and the airflow in the lungs decreases. Emphysema affects oxygen in the body and difficult breathing. According to the Association of American light more than 3. 1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with emphysema. Emphysema and other COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Condition occurs more often in men (about 52% of cases) than in women, but mortality is higher in women. Emphysema is more common in Caucasians than African-Americans. More than 90% of patients with emphysema for more than 45 years at the time of diagnosis. The disease is most common between the ages of 60 to 80. About 100 000 people in the U.S. have hereditary form condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency emphysema or emphysema

family. This disease is more common in people of northern European descent, often causing symptoms at the age of 32 to 40 years. .