It is impossible to determine how many years a patient with emphysema can live. If a patient with emphysema is combined with severe respiratory failure and pulmonary heart disease, the overall survival rate is lower, and the average survival rate may be around 3-5 years. If emphysema does not have persistent airflow limitation and is only detected during physical examination, with active intervention and prevention, one can work and live like a normal person, and the impact on the overall survival rate will not be too great. To prevent further exacerbation of emphysema, it is important to quit smoking, stay away from occupational dust exposure, prevent recurrent respiratory infections, monitor lung imaging and pulmonary function measurements regularly, and use pharmacological intervention and treatment as early as possible if changes in ventilatory function occur in pulmonary function measurements.