Are people that are heavy set more likely to die from emphysema?

No: As emphysema progresses patients lose their appetite, their muscle mass, and weight. Patients with severe emphysema are more likely to be very thin than very heavy. Maintaining normal body weight enables such patients to remain active and provides the best possible quality of life.

Not necessarily: The leading cause of emphysema is smoking, because the smoking causes a reaction in your lungs that ends up destroying lung tissue. It usually has nothing to do with your weight. If you are a heavy set smoker, you can get emphysema. If you are a light-weighted smoker, you can get emphysema. Bottom line: stop smoking.

Not linked.: Obesity leads to a different type of breathing problem, not emphysema, so they're not directly linked. The "blue bloated" morphology of some people with COPD is not obesity.