emphysema
n. uncountablen. a serious lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. It usually happens because the air sacs in the lungs are damaged, often by smoking.
n. a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by the destruction of the walls of the alveoli, leading to the formation of larger air spaces and reduced gas exchange. Typically associated with long-term exposure to irritants such as cigarette smoke.
He was diagnosed with emphysema after years of smoking.
The patient's chronic cough and shortness of breath were eventually attributed to emphysema rather than a simple infection.
While emphysema is most commonly linked to tobacco use, long-term exposure to industrial pollutants or secondhand smoke can also lead to the progressive destruction of lung tissue.
Multiple origins. Partially from post-Classical Latin emphȳsēma (“swelling”), from Ancient Greek ἐμφῡ́σημα (emphū́sēma), from ἐμφῡσάω (emphūsáō, “to puff up”). Also borrowed from Middle French emphysema, from the same Latin source; compare French emphysème. Attested from the late 16th century.