The doctor diagnosed him with emphysema, and now climbing stairs leaves him breathless.

emphysema 是医学名词，由希腊词根 em-（表示"在...里面"）和 physema（"膨胀"）组成，字面意思是"内部膨胀"。在医学上特指"肺气肿"，即肺部气囊异常扩张导致呼吸困难的疾病。