Emphysema Respiratory System

The main system effected by Emphysema is the respiratory system. Positioned in the left and right sides of the thorax is the lungs which are protected by a membrane which gives the lungs huge elasticity to grow when they gather with air. When looking at the lungs microscopically, the lobes of the lungs are compiled of hundred of little alveoli sacs where the exchanging of oxygen and carbon dioxide happen (Shah, 2010). These alveoli can be located at the closing of the bronchioles and are encompassed by vessels where blood travels. Bronchioles are two tubules that transport oxygen into the lungs and are lined with microscopic cilia hairs.

D.Z., a 65-year-old man, is admitted to a medical floor for exacerbation of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; emphysema). He has a past medical history of hypertension, which has been well controlled by Enalapril (Vasotec) for the past 6 years. He has had pneumonia yearly for the past 3 years, and has been a 2-pack-a-day smoker for 38 years. He appears as a cachectic man who is experiencing difficulty breathing at rest. He reports cough productive of thick yellow-green sputum. D.Z. seems irritable and anxious; he complains of sleeping poorly and states that lately feels tired most of the time. His vital signs (VS) are 162/84, 124, 36, 102 F, SaO2 88%. His admitting diagnosis is an acute

As a result of emphysema there is a significant loss of alveolar attachments, which contributes to peripheral airway collapse. There are two major types of emphysema according to the distribution within the acinus and they are; (i) centrolobular emphysema which involves dilatation and destruction of the respiratory bronchioles; and (ii) panlobular emphysema which involves destruction of the whole of the acinus. According to theory, centrolobular is the most common type of emphysema in COPD and is more prominent in the upper zones, while panlobular predominates in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and is more prominent in the lower zones. In relation to patients D.Z. with emphysema, the walls between the tiny air sacs in the lungs are damaged due to long-term cigarette smoking effect on his lungs as evidenced by patient c/o difficulty breathing at rest and productive cough with thick yellow-green sputum r/t a

15. Emphysema can be a serious disease, but it damages not only your lungs but often the heart. Why does a respiratory disease also affect the circulatory system?

Emphysema is the most common cause of death from respiratory disease in the United States and is generally caused by several years of heavy cigarette smoking (Olendorf, 2000). When a person smokes, the body’s immune system tries to fight off the invading smoke by using certain substances. These substances can also attack the cells of the lungs, but normally the body is able to release other substances to prevent this. In the case of people who are smokers, this doesn’t happen and the original substances that were released to fight off the smoke also end up injuring the cells of the lungs as well. Eventually, the lungs will not be able to supply enough oxygen to the blood and a host of problems can occur with this. Risk factors that have been identified for emphysema include exposure to tobacco smoke either through active or passive smoking (2nd hand smoke), occupational exposure such as dust or chemicals, ambient air pollution, or genetic abnormalities, including a deficiency of alpha-antitrypsin, an enzyme inhibitor that normally counteracts the destruction of lung tissue by certain other enzymes (Smeltzer, 2010). The symptoms of emphysema develop gradually over many years. It is generally characterized by three primary symptoms: chronic cough, sputum production, and dyspnea on exertion. Other signs and symptoms include weight loss and the development of a

Small air sacks called alveoli are at the tips of the bronchioles. When air reaches them, the oxygen concentration is high, which causes diffusion into red blood cells travelling through pulmonary capillaries (7). The red blood cells then distribute the new oxygen to the rest of the body. When they reach the alveoli again, they exchange carbon dioxide (a form of cell waste) for new oxygen, and repeat the process. The carbon dioxide is moved through the bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea in the form of exhalation.

Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The name emphysema comes from greek. There are about 20 million victims that suffer from this disease every year. This sickness is mostly caused by smoking. A cigarette has more than 4,800 chemicals inside it. There is about 70% of adults that start to smoke at the age of 18. (lung.org)

Emphysema affects the parenchyma of the lung through destruction of the alveolar walls, leading to permanent enlargement of air spaces distal to the

Emphysema is a chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath. The most common conditions make up COPD. Involving damage to the air sacs. When the air sacs are damaged or destroyed, their walls break down and the sacs get bigger. The larger the air sacs moves less oxygen into the blood. This will cause your body to not get the oxygen that is needed.

Around 2 million Americans suffer from emphysema. Emphysema is known as a disease of the lung that cause shortness of breath due to over inflation of the alveoli or air sacs in the lungs. It is a progressive and irreversible condition in which the alveoli are damaged by inhaled irritants. In this paper I will be discussing with you the causes, the process in which this disease develops, signs and symptoms, the diagnosis, and any treatment of emphysema.

RMRVictoria decided to make herself scarce, having finished eating and finished consuming as much of the drama of the situation as she cared to devour.

The overall goal of my laboratory is to study the mechanism of alveolar type II cell injury in emphysema. The mechanism of this disease pathophysiology is not well known. There is a very limited therapeutic strategy against emphysema. This disease is a primary indication for lung transplantation. However, this also leads to high mortality related to cardiovascular problems. Therefore, our projects are focused on identification of potential novel therapeutic targets and have translational and clinical implications. To our knowledge, my laboratory is the first to isolate primary alveolar type II cells from excess tissue obtained from patients with emphysema. We also obtain tissue from control organ donors whose lungs were not suitable for transplantation

Parenchymal destruction due to emphysema also contributes to airflow limitation and leads to decreased gas transfer .

Air enters your lungs through a system of pipes called the bronchi. These pipes start from the bottom of the trachea as the left and right bronchi and branch many times throughout the lungs, until they eventually form little thin-walled air sacs or bubbles, known as the alveoli. The alveoli are where the important work of gas exchange takes place between the air and your blood. Covering each alveolus is a whole network of little blood vessel called capillaries, which are very small branches of the pulmonary arteries. It is important that the air in the alveoli and the blood in the capillaries are very close together, so that oxygen and carbon dioxide can move (or diffuse) between them. So, when you breathe in, air comes down the trachea and through the bronchi into

Sufferers are required to use energy reserves leaving them quite tired. When emphysema attacks, the respiratory system goes out of homeostasis due the systems inability to efficiently exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as exhausting the energy reserves of the sufferer. A healthy respiratory system refreshes and energizes a body, efficiently pumping in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide without thought or excessive effort.