What is emphysema. Emphysema is a type of COPD. During emphysema of the lungs, the alveoli are constantly expanding and losing their elasticity, and as a result, emphysema patients typically have difficulty exhaling, which depends heavily on the lungs' ability to retract, like rubber bands. COPD definition: Emphysema is actually grouped under the family of diseases chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known by the acronym COPD, as well as chronic bronchitis. They are different because chronic bronchitis is defined by clinical features, such as productive cough, while emphysema is defined by structural changes, mainly widening of the air spaces. That said, they almost always coexist, because they share the same major cause which is cigarette smoke. With COPD, due to bronchial obstruction, the lungs do not empty properly, and air is left trapped inside the lungs. This is why the maximum volume of air that COPD patients can breathe in a single breath, known as the FVC, or forced vital capacity, is lower. This reduction is particularly noticeable in the first second of the air exhaled in a single breath, called forced expiratory volume in 1 second, or FEV1, is usually reduced even more than FVC. A useful measure is therefore the ratio of FEV1 to FVC also called the Tiffeneau coefficient. And since FEV1 is more reduced than FVC, then as a result the Tiffeneau coefficient is reduced. This ratio is also reduced, and this is a characteristic of COPD. What is emphysema? So chronic pulmonary emphysema is a form of COPD, which is based on structural changes in the lungs, specifically destruction of the alveoli. Now, in normal physiology, there's a process called hypoxic vasoconstriction, or, if for some reason, one area of ​​the lungs has poor gas exchange, then the blood vessels in that area undergo vasoconstriction, in an attempt to shunt blood to an area with better gas exchange. And this works well if the hypoxia is in one area of ​​the lungs. But when a large proportion of the lungs are not functioning efficiently, then this vasoconstriction begins to affect multiple blood vessels, which leads to high blood pressure. Over time, this increases the work that has to be done by the right side of the heart, to pump blood to the lungs, causing it to enlarge, which is called chronic cor pulmonale, which eventually leads to right heart failure. This whole process happens in the acini, a group of acinuses, which are the ends of the airways of the lungs or these air sacs are located. In rare cases emphysema can be caused by a genetic abnormality that disrupts the ratio of enzymes that are present in the lungs. This genetic abnormality is called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Now, in healthy individuals, macrophages always release some proteases to help clear out debris that finds its way into the acini. But these proteases break down proteins, right? So these can damage tissue. Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a protease inhibitor that the body produces, to protect against unintended collateral damage from proteases. Patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency do not have these protective protease inhibitors. And they end up with damaged air sacs, which affects the entire acinus. Subscribe - https://goo.gl/xHpaee . More videos - https://goo.gl/JzwVrI . Support us on Patreon - / meducol . This video is brought to you by Meducol, the Medical Platform. In addition to providing free access videos, Meducol offers a complete e-learning platform in Medical Education that connects medical and paramedical students to interactive video courses with quizzes, and healthcare professionals to sophisticated tools to share their knowledge and monetize their expertise! Free registration: https://www.meducol.com/ Plus, we are social: Facebook - / meducol Twitter - / meducol Instagram - / meducol_com Google Plus - https://plus.google.com/+Meducol-Page... LinkedIn – / meducol Got any feedback? We would love to hear from you! https://meducol.com/contact/