This site is intended for healthcare professionals

CPD
CPD
Pro
Pro
account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Localised areas of emphysema may be caused by:

  • congenital disorders

  • compensatory changes:
    • lung collapse
    • scarring
    • resection

  • partial bronchial occlusion:
    • foreign body
    • peribronchial lymphadenopathy
    • neoplasm

  • in rare cases a unilateral emphysema may occur due to bronchiolitis before the age of 8 years

  • smoking

Generalised:

  • idiopathic / primary

  • physiological (senile emphysema)

  • familial:
    • alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency
    • lower lobes more severely affected

  • associated with:
    • chronic bronchitis
    • chronic asthma
    • pneumoconioses

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.