Symptoms of Emphysema

A graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine, Jonathan Kiev, MD, serves as an attending thoracic surgeon at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London. Having previously been affiliated with such institutions as the University of Kentucky School of Medicine and Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Jonathan Kiev, MD, possesses more than three decades of diverse medical experience, largely relating to cardiothoracic and thoracic surgery.

Thoracic surgery treats a variety of conditions affecting the chest area, including emphysema. A disease of the lungs, emphysema results from damage to the walls of the alveoli. This damage means less oxygen moves through the lungs and, subsequently, through the bloodstream. Smoking for several years is the most common cause of emphysema, though it can also develop because of air pollutants, respiratory infections, and inherited factors.

This condition typically develops slowly. At first, patients experience very few symptoms. In fact, many do not notice they have emphysema for several years. Once symptoms appear, the primary sign of emphysema is shortness of breath. This is caused by the lack of oxygen moving through a person’s body.

Over time, the symptoms of emphysema worsen. Frequent coughing or wheezing becomes a common symptom, as does persistent coughing. For smokers, having a persistent cough isn’t unusual, but patients with emphysema still experience a persistent cough even after they quit smoking. Other common symptoms of emphysema include a whistling sound when breathing and tightness of the chest. Weight loss, muscle weakness, and swelling are symptoms of severe emphysema.