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Respiratory System
The respiratory system includes the lungs and the airway. The questions in this category focus mainly on the anatomical and physiological processes associated with breathing.
2,890 Questions
Are your ribs a part of the respiratory system?
In your respiratory system, you have ribs and you have a diaphragm. You can make your rib cage expand and contract. You can push your diaphragm into your lungs and you can push your diaphragm out. With your rib cage expanded and your diaphragm all the way out, your lungs fill with air. With your rib cage totally contracted and your diaphragm pushed into your chest, you have emptied almost all the air from your lungs.
A large number of people do not use their rib cage to breathe. Opera singers make tremendous use of it. Most people have 3 to 4 minutes worth of oxygen in their blood stream. By using both their rib cage and diaphragm, opera singers can get a few more minutes worth of oxygen into their blood stream. You would pass out if you had to sing a note for 3 1/2 minutes. That is what the ribs can do.
Why is the respiratory system important for humans?
The reason the respiratory system is important is because we would not live without air. Breathing is something you need in your body. How it works is when you inhale O2, it goes through trachea, follows through bronchial & end at alveoli. --> O2 --> CO2
What describes the human respiratory system?
The respiratory system is composed of moist passageways that permit air to flow from the external environment to the lungs. In the lungs, blood vessels carrying CO2 on hemoglobin molecules releases the CO2 at the alveoli in exchange for O2. The CO2 is breathed out through the lungs, while the fresh O2 travels through the bloodstream to the cells in all parts of the body. (The first sentence is an extremely simplified and narrow description of the respiratory system, which is much more complicated.)
What is the leaf-shaped cartilage that covers the larynx during swallowing is the?
The cartilage covering the opening of the larynx is called the epiglottis. It keeps food or liquids from entering the larynx when we swallow.
The excretory system why do you see your breath on a cold day?
The air that you exhale contains water vapour. When you exhale during a cold day, the relative humidity increases. Relative humidity is actually the percentage of the amount of water vapour in the air. (the maximum amount of water vapour that the air can hold at that temperature) The colder the air, the less water vapour it can carry. When exhaled, air mixes with cold air, the temperature of the exhaled air drops, but there is more water vapour. When the air becomes saturated, (relative humidity is 100%), the extra water vapour will condense, allowing you to see your breathe on cold days.
What are the illnesses that can affect the respiratory system?
Inflammatory lung disease
Characterised by a high neutrophil count, e.g. asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or acute respiratory distress syndrome
Obstructive lung diseases
Obstructive lung diseases are diseases of the lung where the airways (i.e. bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli) become reduced in volume or have free flow of gas impeded, making it more difficult to move air in and out of the lung.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which includes emphysema an example of an obstructive lung disease, is where the alveolae rupture causing air to be retained in the lungs and limit the available space during inhalation
Asthma
Asthma is an example of a restrictive lung disease, (and of an inflammatory lung disease).
Asthma attacks can be brought on by triggers, such as air pollution, tobacco smoke, factory fumes, cleaning solvents, infections, pollens, foods, cold air, exercise, chemicals and medications. Triggers are highly individual and may not be related to allergens. Many asthmatics are not allergic to common allergens such as mold, ragweed, dust or pollens. Asthma is a difficulty in breathing causing wheezing due to inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles, this causes a restriction in the airflow into the alveoli.
Restrictive lung diseases
Restrictive lung diseases (also known as interstitial lung diseases) are a category of respiratory disease characterized by a loss of lung compliance, causing incomplete lung expansion and increased lung stiffness. E.g. in infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS).
Respiratory tract infections
Infections can affect any part of the respiratory system. They are traditionally divided into upper respiratory tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections.
Upper respiratory tract infection
The most common upper respiratory tract infection is the common cold however, infections of specific organs of the upper respiratory tract such as sinusitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, pharyngitis and laryngitis are also considered upper respiratory tract infections.
Lower respiratory tract infection
The most common lower respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, a lung infection.[clarification needed] Pneumonia is usually caused by bacteria, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae in Western countries. Worldwide, tuberculosis is an important cause of pneumonia. Other pathogens such as viruses and fungi can cause pneumonia for example severe acute respiratory syndrome and pneumocystis pneumonia. A pneumonia may develop complications such as a lung abscess, a round cavity in the lung caused by the infection, or may spread to the pleural cavity.
Malignant tumors
Malignant tumors of the respiratory system, particularly primary carcinomas of the lung, are a major health problem responsible for 15% of all cancer diagnoses and 29% of all cancer deaths. The majority of respiratory system cancers are attributable to smoking tobacco.
The major histological types of respiratory system cancer are:
Small cell lung cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer
Adenocarcinoma of the lung
Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung
Large cell lung carcinoma
Other lung cancers (carcinoid, Kaposi's sarcoma, melanoma)
Lymphoma
Head and neck cancer
Pleural Mesothelioma, almost always caused by exposure to asbestos dust.
In addition, since many cancers spread via the bloodstream and the entire cardiac output passes through the lungs, it is common for cancer metastases to occur within the lung. Breast cancer may invade directly through local spread, and through lymph node metastases. After metastasis to the liver, colon cancer frequently metastasizes to the lung. Prostate cancer, germ cell cancer and renal cell carcinoma may also metastasize to the lung.
Treatment of respiratory system cancer depends on the type of cancer. Surgical removal of part of a lung (lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection) or of an entire lung pneumonectomy), along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are all used. The chance of surviving lung cancer depends on the cancer stage at the time the cancer is diagnosed, and to some extent on the histology, and is only about 14-17% overall.[4] In the case of metastases to the lung, treatment can occasionally be curative but only in certain, rare circumstances.
Benign tumors
Benign tumors are relatively rare causes of respiratory disease. Examples of benign tumors are:
Pulmonary hamartoma
Congenital malformations such as pulmonary sequestration and congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM).
Pleural cavity diseases
Pleural cavity diseases include pleural mesothelioma which are mentioned above.
A collection of fluid in the pleural cavity is known as a pleural effusion. This may be due to fluid shifting from the bloodstream into the pleural cavity due to conditions such as congestive heart failure and cirrhosis. It may also be due to inflammation of the pleura itself as can occur with infection, pulmonary embolus, tuberculosis, mesothelioma and other conditions.
A pneumothorax is a hole in the pleura covering the lung allowing air in the lung to escape into the pleural cavity. The affected lung "collapses" like a deflated balloon. A tension pneumothorax is a particularly severe form of this condition where the air in the pleural cavity cannot escape, so the pneumothorax keeps getting bigger until it compresses the heart and blood vessels, leading to a life threatening situation.
Pulmonary vascular diseases
Pulmonary vascular diseases are conditions that affect the pulmonary circulation. Examples are[citation needed]
Pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that forms in a vein, breaks free, travels through the heart and lodges in the lungs (thromboembolism). Large pulmonary emboli are fatal, causing sudden death. A number of other substances can also embolise (travel through the blood stream) to the lungs but they are much more rare: fat embolism (particularly after bony injury), amniotic fluid embolism (with complications of labour and delivery), air embolism (iatrogenic - caused by invasive medical procedures).
Pulmonary arterial hypertension, elevated pressure in the pulmonary arteries. Most commonly it is idiopathic (i.e. of unknown cause) but it can be due to the effects of another disease, particularly COPD. This can lead to strain on the right side of the heart, a condition known as cor pulmonale.
Pulmonary edema, leakage of fluid from capillaries of the lung into the alveoli (or air spaces). It is usually due to congestive heart failure.
Pulmonary hemorrhage, inflammation and damage to capillaries in the lung resulting in blood leaking into the alveoli. This may cause blood to be coughed up. Pulmonary hemorrhage can be due to auto-immune disorders such as Wegener's Granulomatosis and Goodpasture's syndrome.
Respiratory diseases may be investigated by performing one or more of the following tests
Chest x-ray
Pulmonary function test
Computed tomography scan
Culture of microorganisms from secretions such as sputum
Bronchoscopy
Biopsy of the lung or pleura
Ventilation - perfusion scan
Ultrasound scanning can be useful to detect fluid such as pleural effusion
Epidemiology
Respiratory disease is a common and important cause of illness and death around the world. In the US, approximately 1 billion "common colds" occur each year.[5] In the UK, approximately 1 in 7 individuals are affected by some form of chronic lung disease, most commonly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.[6] Respiratory diseases (including lung cancer) are responsible for over 10% of hospitalizations and over 16% of deaths in Canada.
Note = All these informations has been edited through notepad and transferred to this window. Informations taken from Wikipedia.
What system does the respiratory system relate to?
The cardiovascular and the respiratory system both work toward the same goal, getting oxygen to tissues and getting carbon dioxide out. The respiratory system is involved in giving oxygen to the blood and removing all the co2 . When the heart receives blood that is low in oxygen and high in carbon dioxide, it pumps it to the lungs. When the lungs get bigger and get air from the environment, oxygen is transferred into the blood with the low-oxygen , and some of the co2 comes back into the lungs. Now that this blood has good oxygen in it, it returns to the heart and the heart then pumps it throughout the body.
diffusion
Why do animals have a respiratory system?
The better to breathe with, my dear.
The respiratory system provides a means for and organism to take in Oxygen and release CO2. Oxygen is used by the cells of the body to make ATP. A by product of energy production is CO2 which is release to the atmosphere by the respiratory system.
What is the manual procedure to restart the breathing and heartbeat of a patient?
This procedure is called CPR.
What are large passageways in the chest that lead into the lungs?
The bronchial tubes connect the trachea (breathing tube) to the lungs.
What is the process of the respiratory system moves air into and out of the lungs?
Contraction of the diaphragm reduces space in the rib cage and forces gases out of the lungs. As the diaphragm relaxes it increases the cavity size in the chest causing a drop in pressure, the decrease in pressure draws air in through the mouth or nose into the lungs. :)
What features make the lungs efficient gas exchange structures?
The distance between air and the blood is very short because the walls of the alveoli and capillaries are extremely thin. The oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration gradiesnts are very steep.
The dense network of alveolar capillaries has a very large surface area (about 125 sq ft)
When checking for breathing you look for normal breathing?
When checking for breathing you look for normal breathing. lis two types obreathing that you consider
What does breathing hot air do to the lung?
When I took athletic injuries in high school, my teacher always spoke of how when you breath cold air you feel the burn, but warm air is more of a soothing experience. So basically hot air will just help open, and dilate the capillaries in the lungs, thus helping exchange of oxygen a little more. Resulting in a relaxed feeling after use for a couple of minutes.
What happens to your breathing during a sprint?
An athlete breaths faster and deeper than usual after finishing the race because in the race he must have used most of his energy so he requires more energy so he breaths faster and deeper than usual.
By doing this more oxygen is supplied to our muscle cell
The supply of oxygen increase the breakdown of lactic acid into carbon dioxide and water and energy is released,
What would be an example of an everyday respiratory event the ERV simulates?
Forced exertion. Running, coughing, or sneezing
alveolus (tiny air sacs arranged in clusters in the lungs, in which the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.)
What is the importance of correct breathing?
In order to maintain proper metabolism, the body has to maintain a balance in temperature, proper fluid volume, proper fluid concentration of solutes, proteins (most important is albumin), and proper Ph balance (between 7.35 and 7.45) among other things. The Ph balance is maintained by two mechanisms, namely respiratory and metabolic. Proper breathing refers to not breathing with shallow breaths (for example when one is in pain), because that would lead to retaining too much CO2, which would lead to a respiratory acidosis, nor breathing too deeply, because that will bring too much O2 on board and will lead to respiratory alkalosis. Also, the oxygen saturation of the blood, ideally, needs to be above 95%, so correct breathing is important.
Does saunas help with breathing?
Yes, if you feel "stuffed", sauna is almost guaranteed to open up your nose.
Is it true that when you breathe in air you also breathe dust pollen and microorganisms?
Yes, of course, but the lungs and mucus act as filters for particles that could be dangerous to the lungs
