The Human Respiratory System and Smoking Essay

A female patient 83 years of age has been diagnosed with Emphysema and has had this disease for 10 years. She has been in good shape her whole life and has been big into health and fitness. However, the critical etiological risk factor was that she participated in tobacco smoking for a brief period of her 20’s. She was informed of the disease by visiting a general practioner and therefore getting referred to a respiratory specialist. The laboratory tests used to establish her diagnosis included a lung function test, X ray and sleep apnoea test in hospital overnight. Her most common symptoms include shortness of

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

* COPD: Chronic obstructive lung disease decreases the lungs ability to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. As the disease progress the patient has to work harder and harder to breathe often feeling as if they are suffocating. These disease are often link to a lifetime of smoking but be due to environmental factors.

The respiratory system is a complex organ structure of the human body anatomy, and the primary purpose of this system is to supply the blood with oxygen in order for the blood vessels to carry the precious gaseous element to all parts of the body to accomplish cell respiration. The respiratory system completes this important function of breathing throughout inspiration. In the breathing process inhaling oxygen is essential for cells to metabolize nutrients and carry out some other tasks, but it must occur simultaneously with exhaling when the carbon dioxide is excreted, this exchange of gases is the respiratory system's means of getting oxygen to the blood (McGowan, Jefferies & Turley, 2004).

The Respiratory system is an integrated system of organs involved in the intake and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between an organism and the environment. Your Respiratory system is made up of the organs in your body that help you breathe. The Respiratory system is the system of the body that deals with breathing. The trachea is a wind pipe. The trachea is a pipe shaped by rings of cartillage. A Bronchi are two tubes that carry air into the lungs. The Respiratory system consistes of many different organs. The organs are the lungs, trachea, bronchi, alveoli, diaphragm, nose, mouth, and pharynx. In the Respiratory system the right lung is larger and has more lobes that the left lung becuase the heart is normally located on the left side, and takes up space where the lung would had been. The functions of the Respiratory system is to supply the blood with oxygen in order for the blood to deliver oxygen to all parts of the body. The Respiratory system is also used for the of exchange gases. The importance of the Respiratory system is that it allows for the exchange of gases; meaning carbon dioxide and oxygen. These gas exchanges occur in the alveoli's and the capillaries. This gas exchange of gases is the Respiratory system's means of getting oxygen to the blood. The goal of breathing is to

The respiratory system provides a network of muscles and organs that helps a human breath. It brings in oxygen though inhaling and eliminates carbon dioxide through exhaling.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preventable disease that has a detrimental effects on both the airway and lung parenchyma (Nazir & Erbland, 2009). COPD categorises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are characterised by a reduced maximum expiratory flow and slow but forced emptying of the lungs (Jeffery 1998). The disease has the one of the highest number of fatalities in the developed world due to the ever increasing amount of tobacco smokers and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014). Signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of the disease include a productive cough, wheezing, dyspnoea and predisposing risk factors (Edelman et al., 1992).

Emphysema is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It is a chronic, progressive disease that affects the morbidity and mortality of life. Like many chronic diseases, diagnosis is affected by numerous variables. There is no cure; however, there are effective treatment methods which can slow the progression of the disease and allow for a normal life. In short, the diagnosis of emphysema is not a death sentence. Rather, it is an illness that should prompt a person diagnosed with it to take the lead in the management of the disease. The primary risk factor for this disease that can be controlled is the smoking of cigarettes. Smoking cessation is the most beneficial first step to preventing or stopping the development or progression

In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the airways and tissues of the lungs gradually become damaged over time, causing

Emphysema is a condition of the lungs that involves the over-inflation of the air sacs, otherwise known as the alveoli. Normal functioning of the alveoli helps breathing in normal respiration. Unlike other lung diseases this one can be inherited. This is a disease that can affect people of all ages and genders. In 1994, the number of males with emphysema outnumbered the females by fifty four percent. However, in the two years that followed the difference between males and females decreased by ten percent.

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

The respiratory system, also known as the ventilatory system, is a series of organs found in the human body. The system’s primary function is performing respiration – inhaling oxygen from the environment and exhaling carbon dioxide out of the body (K.M Zimmermann, 2016). Oxygen acts as fuel – without it, the body would be unable to function. Carbon dioxide, the by-product of this process, is breathed out as it is toxic to the human body when it builds up (A.M Helminstine, 2016).

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as COPD, is the third leading cause of death in the United States. COPD includes extensive lungs diseases such as emphysema, non-reversible asthma, specific forms of bronchiectasis, and chronic bronchitis. This disease restricts the flow of air in and out of the lungs. Ways in which these limitations may occur include the loss of elasticity in the air sacs and throughout the airways, the destruction of the walls between air sacs, the inflammation or thickening of airway walls, or the overproduction of mucus in airways which can lead to blockage. Throughout this paper I am going to explain the main causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and ways to reduce COPD.

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

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of gradual, incapacitating respiratory conditions, which include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is generally characterized by reduced breathing capacity, airflow restriction in the lungs, a persistent cough, and other various symptoms. COPD is notoriously associated with a history of cigarette smoking and has become the number one contributor to mortality in chronic disease of the lower respiratory tract. It is also defined as a preventable and treatable disease with some additive pulmonary effects. The pulmonary component of COPD is defined by airflow limitation that is not deemed to be completely reversible. The aspect of airflow limitation is generally a gradual process and is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response in the lung to foreign gases or particles (McCance, 2014).