<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Question I received a left apical bullectomy and pleural abrasion due to recurrent left pneumothorax.  I have been told that I have bullous disease and fibrosis of the lung due to the operation and the healing process. I have shortness of breath which has come on gradually and been told that this is bullous emphysema.  I have tried a search for bullous disease but with no results.  Have I got it wrong? What is bullous disease or bullous emphysema? Is my Celectol, which I take for hypertension, a factor?    Answer Emphysema can be defined as being characterized by an increase in the sizes of the airspaces at the end of the breathing passages.  This increase in size beyond normal arises from the destruction of the airspace walls and a loss of the normal elastic properties.  The term bullous disease of the lungs indicates the presence of bullae, which are abnormal airspaces resulting from the destruction of normal airspace wall tissue and are best described as thin walled air sacs under tension.  These changes, along with the fibrosis, lead to a reduction in the lungs ability to expand and contract and therefore adversely effects the ability to pass oxygen to the blood stream, from the lungs. Very occasionally, surgery is of benefit, but a chronic cough is an indicator of poor surgical outcome.  The mainstay of treatment is with inhaled therapy such as salbutamol oru ipratropim bromide.  Some patients with emphysema respond well to steroid therapy, and a steroid treatment trial is usually part of the work-up to find which treatment suits you best.  By the way, if your Celectol is a beta-blocker, it may be having an adverse effect on your chest symptoms and it may be advisable to see your doctor to discuss a replacement that doesn&amp;#039;t have this property associated with it. Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team    Other Qs &amp;amp; As  An enlarged prostate and chest medication &amp;#039;Bullae&amp;#039; Can Legionella be spread from person to person? Collapsed lung Macloed&amp;#039;s syndrome My father has fluid on the lungs Obstructive pulmonary disease Pleurisy Pneumothorax Pneumothorax and diving &amp;amp;#8211; are the compatible? Tell me about pleurisy What causes pleurisy? What does URTI mean? What happens after pneumonia? What is a shadow of the lung? What is Legionnaires&amp;#039; disease What is mycoplasma? What is &amp;#039;transic orthopenia&amp;#039;?   Last updated 19.09.2010 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/lungs/a5164/what-is-bullous-disease/>