Emphysema - Causes
When a person inhales, air travels into the nose and mouth. The air then moves downward into the windpipe (trachea, pronounced TRAY-kee-uh). The windpipe branches off into two large tubes called the bronchi (pronounced BRON-ki). Each bronchus, in turn, divides into many smaller tubes called bronchioles (pronounced BRON-kee-olz). Finally, the bronchioles end in many small air sacs called alveoli (pronounced al-VEE-o-lie). It is in the alveoli that oxygen from the air passes into the blood. The blood then carries the oxygen to cells.
A healthy person's lungs contain many tiny alveoli. The total surface area of these alveoli is very large. Oxygen can get through the alveoli into the blood very easily.
- Alveoli:
- Small air sacs at the ends of bronchioles through which oxygen passes from the lungs into blood.
- Bronchi:
- Two large tubes that branches off the trachea and leads to the lungs; each tube is called a bronchus when referred to singularly.
- Bronchioles:
- Smaller extensions of the bronchi.
- Bronchodilators:
- Substances that help tissue relax and open up airways to make breathing easier.
- Electrocardiogram:
- A test that measures the electrical activity of the heart to determine whether it is functioning normally.
- Pulmonary function test:
- A test that measures the amount of air a patient can breath in and out.
- Pulmonary hypertension:
- High blood pressure in the arteries and veins associated with the lungs.
- Trachea:
- The windpipe, extending from the larynx (the voice box) to the lungs.
- Volume reduction surgery:
- A surgical procedure in which damaged portions of a patient's lung are removed to make it easier for the patient to use healthy parts of the lung to get the oxygen needed for ordinary functioning.
In people who smoke, the lungs undergo a change. The walls that separate the alveoli from each other break down. Air spaces combine with each other to make larger and larger air sacs. Although the air sacs get bigger, there are far fewer of them. Overall, the total surface area of these air sacs is much smaller than the surface area of the original alveoli. Less and less oxygen can pass through the air sacs into the blood. When this happens, the symptoms of emphysema begin to appear.
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