What is the difference between asthma and emphysema?
One of the big differences is the origin. Asthma is closely related to allergies, Emphysema almost always happens as a result of smoking or other lung damage. In some cases Asthma can lead onto Emphysema later in life (but not always). Asthma symptoms only really occur during an episode and the changes to the lungs only really take place during this time and are due to inflammed airways. With Emphysema, the problem is always there and is a result of damage to the air sacs in the lungs. People with well managed asthma can live a symptom free life. I have asthma and I run long distances, my medication controls my asthma and I never have episodes. As I said above, cigarette smoke is usually the cause of emphysema- tobacco causes the lungs to lose it’s elasticity. When you exhale, you rely on the elasticity of the lungs to expel the air. With emphysema, some of that springiness is destroyed by damage to the walls of the alveoli (air sacs) resulting in the lungs empyting too slowly. With As
