Clinical features of emphysema
The clinical features of 'pure' emphysema include:
- dyspnoea
- pursed-lip breathing
- the absence of cyanosis
- tachypnoea
- thin and often elderly patient
- scanty sputum production
- chest hyperinflation
- reduced breath sounds - quietest over bullae
- cor pulmonale is infrequent, but usually terminal
Emphysema is usually accompanied by other lung disease such as chronic bronchitis; this is the familiar picture of chronic obstructive airways disease.
Reference
- NICE. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in over 16s: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline NG115. Published December 2018, last updated July 2019
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