Emphysema of the lungs is usually not an independent disease, but occurs against the background of the already severe violation of natural ventilation of the human respiratory system. This is a chronic nonspecific pathology of the lung tissue, in which, due to increased pressure inside the bronchioles and alveoli, their wall for a long time is overstretched, and therefore gradually loses its elasticity. All the symptoms of emphysema are added to the syndrome of increased airiness. At the same time on the roentgenogram can be observed impoverishment of the bronchovascular pattern, multiple enlightenments, deformation of the chest and the descent of the diaphragm. These symptoms of emphysema are explained by increased pressure in the chest cavity and an increase in the volume of the tissues of the main organs of the respiratory system, as a result of which the patient observes the swelling of the supraclavicular pits, the acquisition of a barrel- shaped chest, the visible shortening of the neck and the swelling of the cervical veins. In the future, cardiovascular pathology joins these changes: internal organs undergo oxygen starvation and dystrophy, the heart intensifies work to compensate for this, venous congestion, common cyanosis, and then forms a "pulmonary heart".
Emphysema in children
The severe stage of this disease is the so-called bullous emphysema of the lungs. At the same time destruction in the tissue reaches such a level that many walls of neighboring alveoli and bronchioles undergo destruction, and they "merge", forming bubbles with a diameter of more than 1 cm - "bulls". Its etiological factor can be chronic inflammation in the tissue, which causes local lymphostasis, and healthy cells are constantly exposed to toxins and antibodies. In children with congenital insufficiency of α-1-antitrypsin, which supports the protection and elasticity of alveolar membranes, the symptoms of emphysema appear early, and as the disease progresses, the course of the disease only worsens. A paroxysmal cough with a purulent, difficult-to-detachable sputum, dyspnea (more often an expiratory type), inflammatory indices in the blood, fever-all these signs should immediately disturb the pediatrician. Therefore, the symptoms of pulmonary emphysema should be detected in the shortest possible time and be supported by instrumental methods (spirometry, radiography) and physical examination (percutaneously, a decrease in the border of the lungs and boxed sound).
Classification
According to the pathogenesis there is a classification into two main forms: non-obstructive and obstructive emphysema of the lungs. Symptoms of the first appear as a compensatory reaction when a part of the lung is removed or an involuntary process in old age. The second is associated with impaired patency of the bronchi in chronic bronchitis or asthma, and therefore requires the treatment of a primary disease. Since emphysema is a consequence of severe structural disorders, only certain symptoms can be treated to alleviate the condition of the patient and prevent the development of respiratory-heart failure.