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Text File  |  1992-09-02  |  511b  |  13 lines
  1. Incurable lung disease characterized by
  2. disabling breathlessness. Progressive loss of
  3. the thin walls dividing the air spaces
  4. (alveoli) in the lungs reduces the area
  5. available for the exchange of oxygen and
  6. carbon dioxide, causing the lung tissue to
  7. swell. The term `emphysema' can also refer to
  8. any abnormal swelling of body tissues caused
  9. by the accumulation of air. Emphysema is most
  10. often seen at an advanced stage of chronic
  11. bronchitis, although it may develop in other
  12. long-standing diseases of the lungs.
  13.