Respiratory System Essay

Tags: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mayo clinic copd disease asthma temperature health law pneumonia respiratory system

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 1301 words ( 4 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 6

Page 1 of 4

Structure and Function of the Respiratory System

Case

Forty-five-year-old Brad has, ever since the age of 20, been working in the mines in the post of coal cutter. He is happy with his job as he earns a good wage and his father also worked in the very same mine. Akin to several co-workers of his, he suffers from chronic cough. However, Brad has neglected going for yearly health checks as is required for mine workers owing to his fear of being diagnosed with “black lung” (i.e., coal worker pneumoconiosis). This ailment results in fibrosis, lasting dilation of the small airways, and reduced diffusing capability. At more advanced stages of the disease, alveoli, airways and pulmonary capillaries get destroyed.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

COPD has been described as a persistent inflammatory lung ailment which obstructs flow of air from the patient’s lungs. Disease symptoms include difficulties in breathing, wheezing, coughing, and sputum (or mucus) secretion. COPD results from continuous exposure to particulate material or irritants in gaseous form such as cigarette smoke. Patients are highly vulnerable to contracting lung cancer, heart ailments, and various other health conditions. The biggest contributors to COPD contraction are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The former is characterized by inflammation of bronchial tube linings (bronchial tubes are responsible for carrying air back and forth from the lungs’ alveoli (air sacs). Symptoms include coughing and sputum (mucus) generation on an everyday basis. Meanwhile, the latter condition entails destruction of the alveoli situated at the bronchioles’ (tiniest air passages’) end owing to exposure to harmful cigarette smoke as well as other particulate material and gaseous irritants (Mayo Clinic, 2019).

Accurate COPD diagnosis is vital as proper management may reduce symptoms (particularly dyspnea) and aggravation intensity and incidence, prolong life, and improve patients’ health status and exercise capacity. According to GOLD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease), COPD has been defined as a widespread, typically-progressive, avoidable, and curable ailment marked by restricted airflow and linked to intensified chronic inflammatory reaction within the lungs and airways to poisonous gases or particles.

Stuck Writing Your "Respiratory System" Essay?

View All Our Example Respiratory System Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

Comorbidities and aggravations increase overall disease intensity among individual COPD-diagnosed persons (Angelis et al, 2014).

Mismatch between Ventilation and Perfusion

Hypoxemia’s key contributor among COPD-diagnosed persons is V/Q (ventilation/ perfusion) mismatch stemming from a progressive constriction of airflow and the pulmonary capillary bed’s emphysematous breakdown. Researches that employed multiple inert gas elimination…

[…… parts of this paper are missing, click here to view the entire document ]

…time that there is no difference in partial pressure for any of the gases within both areas; carbon dioxide and oxygen within the lungs constantly enter and exit the alveoli; consequently, no such equilibrium occurs.

Oxygen enters the alveoli through bulk flow across conducting airways. During flow of air across conducting airways in the process of inspiration, the bulk flow’s linear velocity reduces upon approaching the alveoli owing to drastic increase in overall area of cross section in the tracheo-bronchial tree’s distal parts. The bulk flow’s linear velocity across a tube equals flow divided by area of cross section:

Linear velocity (cm/s) = Flow (cm3/s) ÷ Cross sectional area (cm2)

Bulk flow most likely stops when the air arrives at the alveoli, with further movement of gas taking place via diffusion. Subsequently, oxygen moves across the gaseous phase within the alveoli in accordance with its individual partial pressure gradient. Alveolar ducts are situated less than a millimeter from the alveoli-capillary interface. Alveolar gaseous phase diffusion is considered to be aided to a great extent by blood flow and heart pulsations that are communicated to the alveoli, increasing molecular motion. Later, oxygen diffuses through alveoli-capillary interface (Levitzky, 2013).

….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


References

Angelis, N., Porpodis, K., Zarogoulidis, P., Spyratos, D, Kioumis, I, Papaiwannou, A., . . . Zarogoulidis, K. (2014). Airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Thorac Dis, 6, 167-172.

Healthline Media. (2019). Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/copd/symptoms-basics

Healthline Media. (2019). What you need to know about V/Q mismatch.Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/v-q-mismatch

Kent, B., Mitchell, P., &McNicholas, W. (2014). Hypoxemia in patients with COPD: cause, effects and disease progression. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis, 6, 199-208.

Levitzky, M. G. (2013). Pulmonary physiology (8th ed.). US: McGraw-Hill Publication.

Mayo Clinic. (2019). COPD. Retrieve from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679
Related Essays

Main Systems of Human Body

goes into the bloodstream, restoring blood glucose levels to normal. The respiratory system Figure 4. The Human Respiratory System (adopted from Canadian Lung Association, 2015) The respiratory system constitutes a set of organs whose function is breathing oxygen into the body and breathing carbon dioxide out. The respiratory system's main organs are the lungs, responsible for the aforementioned gas exchange in the course of the breathing process. While breathing, oxygen comes into the mouth/nose, passes through the sinuses (hollows within the skull which are responsible for regulating the humidity and temperature of incoming air), and gets filtered by the windpipe or… Continue Reading...

Haze Problem in China

with haze pose significant public health threats since they contain toxic substances that can affect circulatory and respiratory systems. Since haze affects horizontal visibility, it has the potential to generate ground and air traffic hazards. According to Mao et al. (2018), Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Sichuan Basin, and Pearl River Delta are among the major polluted regions in China. Apart from industrialization/urbanization processes, haze in China has been fueled by global warming. Existing reports suggest that haze in China is attributable to the substantial adverse effects of global warming in the country. This is supported by the weakening seasonal and winter mean surface winds as well as significant increase in… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Respiratory System" (2019, February 17) Retrieved April 20, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/respiratory-system-essay

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Respiratory System" 17 February 2019. Web.20 April. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/respiratory-system-essay>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Respiratory System", 17 February 2019, Accessed.20 April. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/respiratory-system-essay
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example