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The Respiratory System

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The respiratory system consists of different structures that all function together to deliver oxygen to the lungs and expel carbon dioxide from the body. The respiratory system consists of structures such as the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli and the lungs. The primary function of the respiratory system is gas exchange but other functions also include sound production, assistance in abdominal compression, and coughing and sneezing. The lungs are the main organ of the respiratory system. The function of the lungs receiving the oxygen from the air we breathe and delivering the oxygen to the red blood cells contained in the blood. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body to make sure the whole body is …show more content…

The bronchi deliver the oxygen to the lungs to allow for proper oxygenation. The respiratory system is an important system to the body, it transports and exchanges gasses that are important for the body. Sometimes conditions or diseases can affect the important structures in the respiratory system causing breathing or respiratory problems.Most respiratory system conditions or disease can be held under control with medication. Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects 1 in 10 people and can either be severe or minor. Asthma is defined as episodes of coughing, wheezing and chest tightness, which can happen all at the same time or at separate times. There are a few different types of asthma, for example, allergic asthma and sports induced asthma. Allergic asthma is known as, inflammation as an immune response. In allergic asthma inflammation in the airways is constant even when the patient is not having any symptoms. The triggers of allergic asthma can be, dust mites, cockroaches, cats, dogs, and fungi. Since the walls of the airways are thickened already because of the inflammation, when the bronchospasms occur the airways get …show more content…

The walls of the bronchioles thicken, become enlarged and they tighten up. The structure in the bronchioles causing the airway to tighten up is the elastic fiber and smooth muscle. They constrict making it very difficult for a patient to be able to take in air. This makes the process of oxygenation hard because very little oxygen is being able to reach the alveoli. The reasoning for bronchiole constriction during asthma can be a number of things, but the bronchioles usually rapidly constrict when they come in contact with the substance. For example during allergic asthma bronchioles can constrict when airways come in contact with allergens, such as if someone is allergic to dogs and they come in close contact with a dog. The hyperresponsiveness of the bronchioles is a sensitivity to stimuli. The symptoms patients acquire when suffering from asthma can be, coughing, chest tightness and, shortness of breath. When a person coughs when having asthma the coughing comes from the person feeling as though something is obstructing their airways. They cough to try to help clear their airways. The wheezing a person experiences comes from when the bronchioles are constricted and it makes it difficult to breathe the closed up airways causes a whistling noise occur when you breathe out. Chest tightness during asthma happens because in the lungs there are no nociceptors. The lack of

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