This article is from the Asthma FAQ, by Patricia Wrean and Marie Goldenberg mwg@radix.net with numerous contributions by others.
Emphysema is the disease in which the air sacs themselves, rather
than the airways, are either damaged or destroyed. This is an
irreversible condition, leading to poor exchange of oxygen and
carbon dioxide between the air in the lungs and the bloodstream.
 
Continue to: