Emphysema
Emphysema, when applied to the lung, means distension of the alveoli - the air sacs at the end of the terminal bronchioles where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged across the capillary walls. As the disease progresses there is destruction of the walls of the terminal bronchioles and the air space expands to produce blebs called bullae. Since these cannot contract they play no part in respiration and there is progressive shortness of breath. While this is common in adults who’ve spent a lifetime smoking - part of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (see lungs in the adult section) - it is rare in the young, where it is caused by a deficiency of an enzyme called alpha 1 antitrypsin (which also affects the liver).
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