Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Disorders

Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Disorders

 The respiratory system is a set of organs involved in inhalation and exhalation processes. It is subdivided into upper and lower respiratory tracts and through its exposure to external environment accounts for various disorders. In the upper respiratory tract, there are multiple disorders which threaten people’s health. They include Rhinitis, or a common cold is caused by rhinovirus or allergies, and the two causes have differing symptoms. Sinusitis is caused by Allergies, viruses and fungi and bacteria, and the main symptoms are a headache and facial agony. Tonsillitis cause problems when swallowing while inflamed epiglottis may block the passage of air. Pharyngitis is caused by a virus as well as the streptococcus bacteria resulting in strep throat.

In the lower section of the system, pneumonia, bronchitis, and tuberculosis are common disorders. Bacteria cause tuberculosis, and it’s an airborne disease. Its symptoms include chronic cough, loss of weight, and hemoptysis. Bronchitis -inflamed bronchioles- is caused by a virus and where the bronchioles are blocked by mucous and leukocytes resulting in red sputum production and wheezing. Lastly, pneumonia is majorly caused by Streptococcus pneumonia and streptococcus aureus, although the pneumonia bacteria may develop as a minor infection due to a virus like influenza.

Restrictive and vascular pulmonary disorders chapter 21

The pulmonary system is usually affected by various diseases categorized into restrictive and obstructive disorders (disorders of lung dysfunction), and pulmonary vascular disorders caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the lungs. The restrictive disorders prevent lung ventilation, reduce lung capacity, and interfere with the alveoli openings, thus affecting the proper functioning of the lungs. These disorders include Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) where air going into the pleural space is the cause and pleural effusion (abnormal fluid level in the pleural space).

The functioning of the lung is compromised by various situations such as vascular abnormalities and the structure of the wall of the chest and the tissues within. These complications in the functioning of the lungs may result in changes in the levels of blood gases where increased carbon dioxide serve as the significant stimulus for ventilation, and reduced oxygen stimulates breathing. Pulmonary hypertension affects the heart’s structure as much work is required on the right side of the heart and cause cor pulmonale. The supply of blood to the lungs can also be compromised when a pulmonary embolism entering the lungs through venous circulation and heart blocks the amount of blood in a pulmonary vessel in the lungs.

Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders

Obstruction means the process of hindering or causing a barrier, and therefore, these kinds of disorders usually interfere with the smooth flow of air into the lungs resulting to wheezing as air is forced past the obstruction. The obstructive disorders reduce the passage of breath, and the chest develops a barrel-shape due to accumulated air. These disorders are diagnosed with spirometry to measure air amount in the lungs where forced vital capacity is the minimum volume of air exhaled. The most exhaled air takes place in the first second, the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1).

The obstructive pulmonary disorders include asthma, which involves the constricting of the bronchioles as a response to stimuli like allergies and viral infections. Bronchiectasis is the other disorder where the bronchioles are dilated chronically in response to chronic infections. Also, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD) is one cause of the reduced flow of air into the lungs due to hyper-reactive air passages and cannot be reversed. Lastly, obstructive sleep apnea is the other disorder that affects the upper part of the air passage repeatedly while one is asleep. Blocking of the nasal, obesity, and functional anomalies may be causal factors.