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Lung Health: Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, and Chronic Asthma

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States and the world. COPD is used to describe a group of respiratory diseases characterized by obstruction of airflow. Most physicians consider emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma to make up the COPD group. There is some debate as to whether COPD includes non-chronic asthma. In most cases, non-chronic asthma is considered separately from COPD.

Most people with COPD have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In emphysema-type COPD, the walls between some of the air sacs in the lungs are destroyed. This leaves fewer large air sacs that have less surface area than the normal, smaller-sized sacs for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This labored exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in people with emphysema-type COPD causes shortness of breath.

In chronic bronchitis-type COPD, the airway gets inflamed and thickens and the mucus-producing cells increase in both number and size. This creates excessive mucus that makes sufferers of bronchitis-type COPD cough and have difficulty breathing.

In the United States, cigarette smoking is the number one cause of COPD. Asthma, exposure to indoor air pollution, genetics, and respiratory infections can also contribute to the development of COPD. The most important step in treating emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma is avoiding tobacco smoke and removing other air pollutants from the home or workplace.