Over the years, the number of lives claimed by COPD has increased sharply. In 1979, it accounted for roughly 50,000 deaths, and by 1995 the number reached over 97,000 making COPD the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, or bronchi, which connect the windpipe with the lungs. Chronic bronchitis is defined by the presence of a mucus-producing cough most days of the month, three months of a year for two successive years without other underlying disease to explain the cough. It may precede or accompany pulmonary emphysema.
Classic emphysema develops after many years of assault on lung tissues.
The walls between the tiniest air sacs within the lung break down, and those compartments become unnaturally enlarged. Elasticity of the lung tissue is lost and the lungs become distended, unable to expand and contract normally. As emphysema progresses, the effort needed to breathe increases and, ultimately, each breath becomes a chore. Causes of COPD Chronic bronchitis and emphysema usually occur together. And genetic factors may also play a role in determining susceptibility.