In emphysema – colloquially called pulmonary hyperinflation – (synonyms: Pulmonary hyperinflation; senile emphysema; asthma emphysema; atrophic emphysema; bullous giant cyst of the lung; bullous emphysema; bullous emphysema; chronic emphysema; chronic emphysema; unilateral emphysema; unilateral pale lung; emphysema; emphysema pulmonum; emphysema asthma; emphysema vesicles; emphysema in old age; emphysema thorax; vitreous emphysema; interlobular emphysema; emphysema; McLeod syndrome; Cicatricial emphysema; nonobstructive emphysema; airway obstruction with emphysema; airway obstruction with emphysema; obstructive emphysema; panacinar emphysema; panlobular emphysema; pulmonary emphysema; ruptured alveoli; senile emphysema; unilateral pale lung syndrome; hyper-expansion emphysema; unilateral emphysema; vesicular emphysema; centrilobular emphysema; ICD-10-GM J43. -: Emphysema) is a condition in which there is increased air in the lungs. However, the gas exchange area is reduced. The reason for this is destruction of the parenchyma (lung tissue).
Different forms of emphysema can be distinguished according to the cause:
- Primary emphysema – without an identifiable cause.
- Secondary emphysema – due to other chronic lung diseases.
The most common cause of emphysema is smoking (> 90% of cases).
Furthermore, emphysema can be differentiated according to the way it spreads:
- Bullous emphysema – associated with large bubbles.
- Interstitial emphysema – emphysema involving the connective tissue surrounding the alveoli (air sacs).
- Panlobular emphysema – affecting the entire lobus (lobe of the lung) and originating from the periphery.
- Paraseptal emphysema – emphysema located around the septa between the lobules.
- Centrilobular emphysema – originating from the center of the lobule.
Furthermore, there are the following other forms of emphysema:
- Cicatricial emphysema – caused by chronic inflammation due to years of inhalation of dust containing quartz; in this case, the emphysema forms around a nodule triggered by the quartz.
- Overexpansion emphysema – e.g., after partial resection (partial removal) of the lung due to expansion of the residual lung.
The disease is often mentioned together with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In the course of life, there is physiologically a so-called atrophic “senile emphysema”.
During autopsies (postmortem examinations to determine the cause of death) in hospitals, pulmonary emphysema can be detected in 10% of cases, and in 2-5% this is also the cause of death.
Course and prognosis: According to the course, emphysema can be divided into acute (e.g. in acute asthma attack) and chronic emphysema (e.g. in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)). The prognosis depends on the time of diagnosis and consequently on the start of optimal therapy. In any case, smoking must be stopped, otherwise the progression (progression) of the disease cannot be influenced.
In smokers, the mean life expectancy is 48 years and in non-smokers 67 years. If the FEV1 value* is < 1 liter, life expectancy is significantly reduced.
* FEV1 value = forced expiratory volume in one second; This refers to the amount of air that the patient can exhale with all their strength and as quickly as possible within one second.
