Emphysema

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/emphysema

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the major subtype of?Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
2. What is the key genetic risk factor?Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, leading to earlier onset
3. What happens to the lungs in emphysema?The tiny air sacs called alveoli become enlarged and lose their walls, making the lungs less stretchy and reducing the surface for oxygen to enter the blood.
4. Why do people with emphysema have trouble breathing out?Because the damaged alveoli can't recoil, air gets stuck in the lungs during exhalation, so breathing out becomes harder and the lungs feel full.

Alveoli: Microscopic air sacs in the lungs responsible for gas exchange between air and blood.
Proteases: Enzymes that break down proteins, contributing to the destruction of lung tissue in emphysema.
Antiproteases: Substances that inhibit proteases, normally protecting lung tissue from damage.
Elastic Recoil: The natural tendency of lung tissue to return to its original shape after being stretched, vital for exhalation.