The Anatomy of the Respiratory System and Disease That Cause Obstruction
The Human Respiratory System - Oxygen Delivery System
The human respiratory system’s function is to enable us to exchange air through passageways. The primary function of the human respiratory system is to supply blood and oxygen to various parts of the body. It does this through breathing. Breathing entails inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. A diagram of an insect’s respiratory system is very simple. On the contrary, the human respiratory system is very complicated, but it functions very easily.
The Anatomy of the Respiratory System
The diaphragm is a muscle that goes across the chest. The diaphragm’s function is to pump carbon dioxide out of the lungs and pull oxygen in the lungs. By contracting and relaxing, the diaphragm enables us to breathe. The contraction of the diaphragm pulls the oxygen in and the relaxation of the diaphragm pumps out the carbon dioxide.
Disease and the Respiratory System
What happens when you get a respiratory disease? A respiratory disease is any disease that affects your breathing. Diseases of the respiratory system include emphysema, bronchial diseases, lung diseases, etc. The respiratory system can become infected with mild to severe forms of diseases. For instance, the common cold is a form of respiratory illness. It’s a common illness and not fatal. At the other spectrum are pneumonia and pulmonary embolism, respiratory illnesses which are fatal. All three types are common forms of respiratory system illnesses and causes of death in the United States. The United States has estimated that 1 billion people contract colds every year.
Smoke related respiratory illnesses are extremely common in the United States. Respiratory infections are categorized as being either a disease or an infection. The common cold is categorized as an infection. Restrictive lung disease is characterized by inability for the long to expand and increase lung stiffness. This kind of illness is caused by prolonged inhalation of asbestos. Pneumonia is a lower respiratory tract infection. In Western society it is caused by the streptococcus pneumonia. But worldwide, tuberculosis is the cause of pneumonia. Smoking causes the top respiratory illnesses emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer. Over 7 million smokers and former smokers suffer from the deterioration of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In the last stages of this disease, the patients feel as if they are drowning.
Respiratory System - Physiology
The respiratory system is made up of the mouth, nose, trachea, lungs, and diaphragm. The mouth and the nose allow oxygen to enter through them. Then it passes through the larynx (the larynx is where speech and sounds are produced) and the trachea. It’s an extremely complicated process but the basic function of the respiratory system is to allow us to breathe. When we have ailments affecting the respiratory system it makes it difficult to breathe. Exercise is extremely important to our respiratory system. As we exercise, we inhale deeply and exhale deeply allowing the circulation in our lungs to flow freely. In addition, exercise makes the lungs stronger. Because the respiratory system is an important part of the human anatomy, it is important to take the necessary steps to insure its ability to function.
