The Sunday News
Common diseases that affect the human respiratory system
The human respiratory system is a system of organs responsible for inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide in humans. The important respiratory organs in living beings include lungs, gills, trachea and skin.
Asthma: People with a family history of asthma, respiratory allergies, or severe childhood respiratory illness are at a higher risk of developing asthma.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes breathing problems when the airways become narrowed by inflammation or blocked by mucus. The condition’s severity varies from person to person, but most people take daily preventive medication to control their symptoms and prevent flare-ups.
Asthma Inhaler
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe two primary types of obstructive lung disease that used to be classified separately: emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Cystic fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition that affects about 35 000 people in the United States. It can cause both breathing and digestive problems because the disease makes the mucus in the body very thick. While the disease can involve several organs, it tends to cause specific problems in the lungs, such as blockages from thick mucus that trap harmful bacteria and lead to infections.
Lung cancer: Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, ranking third in the United States with more than 218 000 people affected.
It can develop as either small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer, which is the more common of the two. Cigarette smoking — both direct and second-hand — is one of the biggest risk factors for lung cancer.
Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis is a bacterial lung disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More than 1,8 billion people around the world have tuberculosis, but the disease is only considered active in 10 million of them.
People with strong immune systems sometimes carry an inactive form of the disease, called latent tuberculosis. In people with weaker immune systems, the bacteria attacks lung tissue. It can also spread and cause damage to other parts of the body.
Bronchitis: Bronchitis is a condition that develops when the windpipe (bronchial tube) gets irritated or inflamed. In response to the inflammation, the lining of the bronchial tube may make too much mucus as it tries to coat the area.
The mucus can make it difficult to breathe. Inflammation can also cause swelling of the airway. This will cause it to narrow and makes it harder to breathe.
Pneumonia: Is a generic diagnosis. Even though there are different types of pneumonia, the way that the condition affects the lungs is similar in each one.
With pneumonia, a virus, bacteria, or another infectious agent causes the tiny air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) to fill with fluid or pus.
These air sacs are what help exchange oxygen and other gases between the air that is breathed in and the blood. When these sacs are filled with fluid, the body’s ability to exchange gases is reduced.
Emphysema: Is a type of COPD that occurs when the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs lose their elasticity. These sacs are made to inflate and shrink and stretch with each breath, which allows air to move in and out of them.
If you have emphysema, these sacs have been damaged and cannot stretch when you breathe. As these air sacs become damaged and die off, your lungs have fewer working parts to move oxygen from the air you breathe into your blood.
Smoking is a leading contributor to emphysema, but exposure to other pollutants and chemicals can also cause it. Age and obesity are also risk factors for emphysema. – Online sources
