emphysema lung cancer heart disease :: Article Creator Emphysema At CT Lung Screening Increases Death Risk In Asymptomatic Adults: Study Emphysema detected on baseline low-dose chest CT (LDCT) in the lung cancer screening cohort of more than 9,000 asymptomatic adults was associated with death from all causes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cardiovascular disease within a 25-year follow-up period in a new study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Emphysema is a permanent and progressive lung disease in which air sacs in the lungs become damaged, making breathing difficult. It is primarily caused by long-term exposure to irritants like cigarette smoke and air pollution. "Until now, we didn't know if baseline visual emphysema scoring on LDCT in the lung cancer screening setting had any prognostic value," said Claudia I. Henschke, Ph.D., M.D., a radiolo...