Serious Symptoms Of Emphysema

Blue Lips Or Fingernails

Cyanosis is a term used to describe a symptom where the skin of the lips and the skin underneath the fingernails turn blue. Blue lips and fingernails occur when the oxygen content of the blood is too low. The parts of the skin affected by low oxygen concentration have a different color of blood flowing through them than parts of the body with blood with a higher concentration of oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood is bright red and reflects light from under the skin as a pink or flesh color, where oxygen-poor blood is very dark red and reflects light from under the skin as a blue or grey color. The blue discoloration occurs because light reflects from the two colors of blood differently. An individual with emphysema has lungs that do not work as well as they should due to weakened alveoli. Oxygen-poor air fills into spaces where the alveoli have ruptured, not allowing oxygen-rich blood to enter the lung. As a result, the oxygen content of the blood is lower than normal in distant body parts like the fingertips and mucous membranes.

Get more details on the serious symptoms associated with emphysema now.