Barrel chest

A barrel chested person will usually have a naturally large ribcage, very round (i.e., vertically cylindrical) torso, large lung capacity, and can potentially have great upper body strength.

It can sometimes be found alongside acromegaly (an enlargement of the extremities resulting from excess levels of human growth hormone (HGH) in the body).

Barrel chest, as a medical condition, is most commonly related to osteoarthritis as individuals age.

There are two main causes of the barrel chest phenomenon in emphysema: Barrel chest occurs naturally in native people who live at altitudes of over 5500 m, e.g. the Himalayas or the Andes.

These natives also have polycythemia and other accommodations for high altitude life.