Emphysema: Symptoms, Causes & What to Expect

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 3.7 million Americans had emphysema, a condition that results in the eventual destruction of the air sacs in the lungs. There are a variety of signs and symptoms of the condition.

Breathing Difficulties

• A shortness of breath that prohibits patients from doing things they once could do is a leading sign of emphysema. Not being able to breathe well enough for moderate exercise is another indication.

Other Breathing Symptoms

• Tightness in the chest and wheezing with each breath is another sign of emphysema. In addition, people with emphysema often become short of breath from bending over.

Coughing

• A chronic cough, especially one that produces green or yellow mucus or phlegm, is another sign of emphysema. Breathing difficulties that become severely worse during a cold are also a sign.

Finger and Toe Nails

• The finger and toenails of a person with emphysema often become a bluish color, due to a lack of oxygen in the extremities.

Weight Loss

• Emphysema results in a lack of appetite in some patients and causes rapid weight loss with or without any changes in food consumption.