emphysema is a progressive disease that usually manifests itself in patients after 50 years of age. emphysema is a subtype of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. most patients except in those in whom disease is the result of a genetic deficiency (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency) have variable manifestations of the different components of copd which include: chronic bronchitis. asthma. emphysema. bronchiectasis. each of the subtypes has characteristic symptoms; those primarily associated with emphysema are shortness of breath and wheezing. initially the shortness of breath (dyspnea) occurs with activity. as time continues and the disease progresses the episodes of dyspnea occur more frequently eventually occurring at rest.
what are symptoms of emphysema?