Have Asthma Problem By Birth. Test Showed Hyperinflated Lungs. Underlying Cause?

Posted on Tue, 12 Mar 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 Answered on

Wed, 3 Apr 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : hi my name is XXXXXXX i am 47 yrs old.i was born with asmatha, had my last attack when i was 7.so i thought on feb 11 .i had what appeared to be my first asmatha attack in 40 years. after extensive testing they said my heart was very good. now a month later after more testing .they said i have hyperinflated lungs. and what appears to be sacks of fluid on top of my ribcage, just below the skin.i am due to see a lung doctor this week. what causes this??

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (46 minutes later)

Hello and welcome to XXXXXXX

Thank you for writing to us.

Hyperinflated lungs could be caused by any form of obstruction in the pathways/passages that deliver air to the lung tissue. This results in trapping of air within the lung, which causes a hyper (excessive or more) inflated lung.

Some causes of a hyperinflated lungs are:
-Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
-Asthma
-Cystic fibrosis
-Reduced elasticity of the lungs

As a result of this trapped air, an emphysema (one or more), could be formed. An emphysema is a sac of air that is trapped under the skin. This sac can sometimes also contain fluid, which has collected/reached the sac from the surrounding tissues.

I hope you have found my response helpful and informative. Do write back to me for any further clarifications. I would be happy to help.

Best wishes.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar