Emphysema is a chronic lung condition. With emphysema, the air sacs in the lungs are destroyed. The lungs lose their ability to stretch. This makes it harder to get air in and out of the lungs. When emphysema occurs with chronic bronchitis, it is called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The predominant symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath or the feeling of not being able to get enough air. A person may initially visit the doctor because he or she has begun to feel short of breath during activity, but as the disease progresses, this symptom may be present all the time, even while sitting quietly. Coughing, wheezing, and chronic mucus production are other common symptoms.

A diagnosis, however, cannot be based on these symptoms alone, A careful history, focusing on the number and duration of these symptoms, as well as smoking and occupational histories, is basic to diagnosing the disease.

The physician will thoroughly examine the chest, observe breathing patterns, and monitor how hard the person is working to breathe. A thorough exam will also include noting the degree of over-inflation of the lungs, listening to the chest with a stethoscope to hear the airflow in and out of the lungs, and listening to heart sounds to determine its rate and rhythm and any signs of heart strain that may accompany advanced stages of emphysema.

In addition, routine lung function tests can determine several characteristics and capabilities of the lungs. The following tests can identify various stages of emphysema:

Spirometry

Through a tube connected to a machine that records airflow and capacity, the patient takes a deep breath and blows it out as quickly as possible. Measuring the amount of air that can be forced out in one second and the total amount of air that can be exhaled is the best way to determine the amount of airways obstruction.

Arterial Blood Gas (ABG)

An ABG is done by analyzing blood from an artery for amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen. This test is often used to assess more advanced stages of emphysema and to determine whether or not a person needs extra oxygen.

Pulse Oximetry

A special light, clipped onto the finger or earlobe, can indirectly measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.

X-rays

X-rays are not often helpful in early-stage diagnosis of emphysema, but in moderate to severe cases, a reasonably accurate diagnosis can be made with the plain chest x-ray and computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning. Some of the more common appearances on the chest x-ray include flattened diaphragms, loss of blood vessel markings, and the appearance of a reduced size of the heart.

These and other test results are then compared to values considered healthy for various age groups, heights, weights, genders, and races.

Emphysema is chronic and progressive disease that affects the lungs. Emphysema happens when there is damage to the small air sacs and the small airways in the lungs.

The severe damage of the small air sacs and the small airways prevent the patient to breathe properly that is why patients of emphysema experience shortness of breath. And shortness of breath limits the capacity of the person to perform strenuous activities.

When emphysema reached the advanced stage, the patient would find it hard to expel air from the lungs that is why the process of breathing itself can really be strenuous on the patient's part.

Emphysema is hard to detect in the early stage unless the patient feel the symptoms of having shortness of breath and most of the time, this happens when emphysema is already in advanced stage.

The treatments that is available for emphysema is used to relieve its symptoms thus avoiding more severe complications.

The main common emphysema symptom is shortness of breath and decreased capacity in doing physical activities, if left untreated, the symptoms will worsen overtime.

In the long time, the person with Emphysema will find it hard to breath even he is lying down. In addition, the breathing will be even harder after having respiratory infections like colds and flu.

Other emphysema symptoms are:

Loss of appetite - emphysema patients will likely to have loss of appetite as they find it hard to eat because of difficulty in breathing.
Loss of weight - weight loss usually happens as patients are loosing their appetite.
Mild and chronic cough - this uncommon in cases of emphysema but those who have cough, they will find that their cough is not productive as it does not have phlegm.
Fatigue - Patients may always feel malaise and tired as their body finds it hard to breathe oxygen which is needed by the body.