Respiratory Disorders & conditions

Instructions for class today: Read through the following slides on various respiratory disorders and conditions – fill out your chart as you go. There are a few extra disorders in the powerpoint that you don’t need to write notes about. I won’t test you on those, they’re just there for interest. Once you are done filling out the chart, there are some questions on the last slide for you to complete for the remainder of class.

Asthma A chronic inflammatory disease of the airway Causes shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing Air is obstructed as it passes in and out of the lungs Caused by genetic and environmental factors such as dust or pollen, or by exercise

The lining of the airway becomes inflamed and may produce more mucous The more inflammation, the more sensitive the airway becomes Can also result in: The muscles surrounding the airways become sensitive and start to twitch and tighten This can also occur if inflammation is not treated It can be treated with inhaled medications (puffer)

Bronchitis **Very similar result to asthma, but different cause** The bronchi and bronchioles become irritated or infected – can be caused by a virus, bacteria, or inhaled irritants Results in inflammation, mucous production, and tightening of airways. As mucous builds up, the coughing reflex is triggered to help clear these airways

Pleurisy (aka. Pleuritis) The pleural membrane around the lungs become inflamed - usually due to infection Causes pain when breathing Often occurs as a secondary infection related to pneumonia

Drowning Besides Oxygen deprivation… Fresh water Salt Water Water gets in your lungs, creating osmotic pressure Water floods the blood stream through osmosis (hypotonic!) Dilutes blood chemicals – can result in heart failure Salt Water Water is drawn out of capillaries (osmosis) and into the lungs (hypertonic) This prevents oxygen from reaching the walls of the alveoli

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Sometimes called the silent killer A dangerous air pollutant that we can’t see, smell, or taste Comes from the incomplete combustion of organic material Car exhaust, malfunctioning gas furnace, BBQ (never use a BBQ inside!!)

How does it harm us? Carbon monoxide can bind to hemoglobin in our RBC more efficiently than oxygen can (about 200x better!) Oxygen is blocked from binding to red blood cells Symptoms of CO poisoning Headaches, weakness, dizziness and nausea Coma, organ damage, and death soon follows

High Altitude Breathing At higher altitude, air is ”thinner”. Low air pressure contains less oxygen, so breathing is considerable less efficient. This is why mountain climbers take O2 tanks with them. A person not acclimatized to such conditions will not be able to get enough oxygen - This is called “altitude sickness” or Hypoxia

Hypoxia Caused when breathing at high altitudes does not supply enough oxygen for your body. Oxygen levels in the blood are too low and any physical exertion results in shortness of breath and light headedness. The body responds by increasing breathing rate and over time the body creates more red blood cells to enable more oxygen absorption – this is Acclimatization (your body adjusts and adapts to your environment) Ever heard of high altitude training? (you’ll need to look this up in the questions at the end)

Scuba Diving At normal atmospheric pressure, nitrogen does not dissolve significantly in water, and does not diffuse into our blood A scuba diver experiences increased pressures in deep water, and the body tissues absorb high volumes of gas at this increased pressure

Nitrogen Narcosis Beyond 40-60 meters Pressure increases the amount of nitrogen dissolved in blood Also known as “rapture of the deep” A diver may experience blissful giddiness, disorientation, or irrational fear and panic – can be very dangerous if the swimmer cannot find their way back to the surface. The effects wear off after a diver returns to normal depth and pressure

The Bends As divers head back to the surface, pressure decreases If a diver surfaces too quickly the extra dissolved gases in blood can form bubbles as pressures decrease. These bubbles become trapped within the blood vessels The bubbles block blood flow and can be very painful and potentially fatal

Cold and Flu Virus The common cold (rhinovirus) and the flu (influenza virus) get into cells of the respiratory tract They replicate and destroy cells (we’ll go into more detail about how this happens in our next unit) Result in sore throats and extra mucous production

Smoking… Nicotine can paralyze cilia (small hair like fibres in the respiratory tract) and interfere with mucous production As a result, air is not cleaned as it enters the lungs Cigarette smoke also contains 250 different chemicals that are known to be harmful to humans, and 69 of those chemicals are known carcinogens (substances that cause cancer)

Emphysema Lung tissue and alveoli lose their elasticity – means that breathing in and out becomes much more difficult. It becomes especially difficult to breathe out completely which results in “stale air” being trapped in the lungs. In 2018 it was the 3rd leading cause of death (Chronic lower respiratory disease) What causes it????  Smoking.

Smokers also experience… Bronchitis Hearth disease – less oxygen in the blood means the heart works harder! Liver disorders – from filtering out extra chemicals Radiation exposure – from radioactive particles in the smoke – Cancer Premature aging and wrinkling

Follow up questions Use the Powerpoint, as well as Google search to answer the following: How is asthma different than bronchitis? What are some common sources of carbon monoxide to watch out for? Why is carbon monoxide called the “silent killer”? Why is it important that scuba divers return to the surface gradually, and not too quickly. What is high altitude training? What are its benefits, and how does it work?