Emphysema

Article By:

Stulbarg, Michael S. Chest Clinic, Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California.

Last reviewed:February 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.230900

A pathology characterized by abnormal enlargement of air spaces distal to the terminal bronchioles in the lung. Emphysema (see illustration) is a pathologic condition distinguished by loss of elasticity of the lung. The primary cause of this loss of elasticity is the destruction of elastin, which is an important structural protein in the lung's supporting connective tissue. The term emphysema is often used imprecisely to refer to any member of the group of illnesses known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and nonallergic asthma. The collective term obstructive pulmonary disease arises because many patients have elements of all three diseases. Although histological examination of lung tissue from surgical specimens or at autopsy is the only definitive diagnostic method, advances in physiological testing and radiologic techniques usually make an earlier diagnosis possible. See also: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); Connective tissue; Connective tissue disease; Elastin; Lung; Respiratory system disorders

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