Chapter 13 - Respiratory System Disorders

Question 1

bronchodilation

Answer 1

It is expansion of the bronchial air passages. A drug that causes bronchodilation is called a bronchodilator.

Question 2

caseation

Answer 2

a form of necrosis characteristic of tuberculosis, in which diseased tissue forms a firm, dry mass like cheese in appearance

Question 3

clubbing (medical)

Answer 3

A painless, firm, fibrotic enlargement at the end of the digit (fingers or toes). When a finger or toe has clubbing, it is called a clubbed finger or clubbed toe.

Question 4

compliance (lungs)

Answer 4

the ability of the lungs to expand

Question 5

empyema

Answer 5

The medical term for pockets of pus that have collected inside a body cavity. They can form if a bacterial infection is left untreated, or if it fails to fully respond to treatment. The term empyema is most commonly used to refer to pus-filled pockets that develop in the pleural space.

Question 6

expectorant

Answer 6

a medicine that promotes the discharge or expulsion of mucus from the respiratory tract

Question 7

phlegm vs sputum

Answer 7

Phlegm is a type of mucus made in your respiratory passages. You typically don’t produce noticeable amounts of phlegm unless you are sick with a cold or have some other underlying medical issue. When you cough up phlegm, it’s called sputum.

Question 8

antitussive

Answer 8

(especially of a drug) used to prevent or relieve a cough

Question 9

Hering-Breuer reflex

Answer 9

A reflex triggered to prevent the over-inflation of the lung. Pulmonary stretch receptors present on the wall of bronchi and bronchioles of the airways respond to excessive stretching of the lung during large inspirations (breathing in). Once activated, they inhibit inspiration, allowing expiration (breathing out) to occur.

Question 10

hypercapnia

Answer 10

(from the Greek hyper = “above” or “too much” and kapnos = “smoke”)
also known as hypercarbia and CO2 retention

a condition of abnormally elevated carbon dioxide levels in the blood

Question 11

hypoxemia

Answer 11

an abnormally low concentration of oxygen in the blood

Question 12

paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea

Answer 12

a sensation of shortness of breath that awakens the patient, often after 1 or 2 hours of sleep, and is usually relieved in the upright position

Question 13

hyaline

Answer 13

transparent or nearly so and usually homogeneous

The word “hyaline” comes from the Greek word “hyalos” meaning “glass or transparent stone such as crystal.”

It is used often in reference to hyaline membrane disease, which is a synonym for infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS). One of the signs of the disease is membranes called hyaline membranes that cover the alveoli, which are the tiny air sacs in the lungs. These membranes make gas exchange difficult or impossible in the lungs. Hyaline membranes are so called because they are glassy (transparent) in appearance.

Question 14

hemoptysis

Answer 14

the coughing up of blood

Question 15

malaise

Answer 15

a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify

Question 16

pneumonia

Answer 16

An infection of one or both of the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. It is a serious infection in which the air sacs fill with pus and other liquid.

Lobar pneumonia affects one or more sections (lobes) of the lungs.

Question 17

pulsus paradoxus

Answer 17

also called paradoxic pulse or paradoxical pulse
A drop in blood pressure of more than 10 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) when taking a breath (inspiration). Pulsus paradoxus is a sign of some other condition and by itself is not a medical condition.

Question 18

crackles

Answer 18

also called rales
The clicking, rattling, or crackling noises that may be made by one or both lungs of a human with a respiratory disease during inhalation. They are usually heard only with a stethoscope (“on auscultation”).

Question 19

rhonchus

singular: rhonchi

Answer 19

a rattling or whistling respiratory sound resembling snoring, caused by secretions in the trachea or bronchi

Question 20

wheeze, wheezing

Answer 20

a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing

Question 21

fine, medium, and coarse (abnormal breathing sounds)

Answer 21

The three descriptions of crackles and other abnormal breathing sounds, such as wheezing.

Fine crackles are soft, high-pitched, and very brief.
Coarse crackles are somewhat louder, lower in pitch, and last longer than fine crackles.
Medium are in between these two.

Question 22

stridor

Answer 22

A high-pitched harsh sound heard during inspiration. Stridor is caused by obstruction of the upper airway, is a sign of respiratory distress and thus requires immediate attention.

Question 23

steatorrhea

Answer 23

the excretion of abnormal quantities of fat with the feces owing to reduced absorption of fat by the intestine

Question 24

Boyle’s law

Answer 24

An experimental gas law that describes how the pressure of a gas tends to decrease as the volume of the container increases.

Question 25

Legionnaires’ Disease

Answer 25

A severe form of pneumonia. It’s caused by a bacterium known as legionella. Most people catch Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling the bacteria from water or soil.

Question 26

bronchopneumonia

Answer 26

A subtype of pneumonia. It is the acute inflammation of the bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs.

Question 27

atypical pneumonia

Answer 27

Also known as walking pneumonia, so called because it is usually not as severe as typical pneumonia.

It is any type of pneumonia not caused by one of the pathogens most commonly associated with the disease. Its clinical presentation contrasts to that of “typical” pneumonia. A variety of microorganisms can cause it. When it develops independently from another disease, it is called primary atypical pneumonia (PAP).

The term was introduced in the 1930s and was contrasted with the bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, at that time the best known and most commonly occurring form of pneumonia. The distinction was historically considered important, as it differentiated those more likely to present with “typical” respiratory symptoms and lobar pneumonia from those more likely to present with “atypical” generalized symptoms (such as fever, headache, sweating and myalgia) and bronchopneumonia.

Question 28

lobar pneumonia

Answer 28

a form of pneumonia characterized by inflammatory exudate within the intra-alveolar space resulting in consolidation that affects a large and continuous area of the lobe of a lung

Question 29

consolidation

Answer 29

1. the process of uniting: the quality or state of being united
   specifically: the unification of two or more corporations by dissolution of existing ones and creation of a single new corporation
2. pathological alteration of lung tissue from an aerated condition to one of solid consistency (meaning the air in the lungs is replaced by something else)
3. the process by which a new memory is converted into a form that is stable and long-lasting

Question 30

aerate, aerated

Answer 30

1. to supply or impregnate (something, such as the soil or a liquid) with air
2. to supply (the blood) with oxygen by respiration

Question 31

pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Answer 31

An opportunistic infection that occurs in immunosuppressed populations, primarily patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection; it is a fungal infection that causes inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs.

Question 32

mycobacterium tuberculosis

Answer 32

a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis

Question 33

histoplasmosis

Answer 33

An infection caused by a fungus called Histoplasma. The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in soil that contains large amounts of bird or bat droppings.

Question 34

meconium ileus

Answer 34

Meconium ileus (pronounced meh-COE-nee-um ILL-ee-us) means that a baby’s first stool (feces), called meconium, is blocking the last part of the baby’s small intestine (ileum). This can happen when the meconium is thicker and stickier than normal.

Almost all babies with meconium ileus have cystic fibrosis (CF). CF makes certain fluids and mucus in the body thicker than normal. This increases the chance that meconium will get stuck in the ileum. About 1 in 5 babies with CF is born with meconium ileus.

Question 35

meconium

Answer 35

The earliest stool of a mammalian infant resulting from defecation. Unlike later feces, meconium is composed of materials ingested during the time the infant spends in the uterus: intestinal epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile and water.

Meconium, unlike later feces, is viscous and sticky like tar, its color usually being a very dark olive green; it is almost odorless. When diluted in amniotic fluid, it may appear in various shades of green, brown, or yellow. It should be completely passed by the end of the first few days after birth, with the stools progressing toward yellow (digested milk).

Question 36

lanugo vs vellus hair vs terminal hair

Answer 36

Lanugo is very thin, soft, usually unpigmented, downy hair that is sometimes found on the body of a fetal or new-born human. It is the first hair to be produced by the fetal hair follicles, and it usually appears around sixteen weeks of gestation and is abundant by week twenty. It is normally shed before birth, around seven or eight months of gestation, but is sometimes present at birth. It disappears on its own within a few weeks.

It is replaced by hair covering the same surfaces, which is called vellus hair. This hair is thinner and more difficult to see. At puberty, androgen hormones cause much of the vellus hair to turn into terminal hair and stimulate the growth of new hair in the armpit and the pubic area. In men, this change in vellus hair usually occurs on the face and the body. Some vellus hair still remains, but is sometimes harder to see in men than women. Men have more terminal hair.

The more visible hair that persists into adulthood is called terminal hair. It forms in specific areas and is hormone-dependent. The term is from Latin lana “wool”.

Question 37

bronchogenic carcinoma

Answer 37

Any type or subtype of lung cancer. The term was once used to describe only certain lung cancers that began in the bronchi and bronchioles, the passageways to the lungs. However, today it refers to any type.

Question 38

aspiration (medical)

Answer 38

Aspiration means to draw in or out using a sucking motion. It has two meanings:

Breathing in a foreign object (sucking food into the airway).
A medical procedure that removes something from an area of the body. These substances can be air, body fluids, or bone fragments.

Question 39

ascites

Answer 39

the build-up of fluid in the space between the lining of the abdomen and abdominal organs

Question 40

chronic bronchitis

Answer 40

Long-term inflammation of the bronchi. It is common among smokers. People with chronic bronchitis tend to get lung infections more easily. They also have episodes of acute bronchitis, when symptoms are worse.

Question 41

pneumoconioses

Answer 41

A group of interstitial lung diseases caused by the inhalation of certain dusts and the lung tissue’s reaction to the dust. The principal cause of the pneumoconioses is work-place exposure; environmental exposures have rarely given rise to these diseases.

Question 42

interstitial

Answer 42

1. occurring in or being an interval or intervening space or segment: of, relating to, or forming an interstice
2. situated within but not restricted to or characteristic of a particular organ or tissue —used especially of fibrous tissue
3. affecting the interstitial tissues of an organ or part

Question 43

interstice

Answer 43

1. a space that intervenes between things; especially: one between closely spaced things
2. a gap or break in something generally continuous
3. a short space of time between events

Question 44

fibrous connective tissue (FCT)

Answer 44

also called fibrous tissue
it is a high-strength, slightly stretchy tissue consisting mainly of collagen, a protein which is known for providing strength and stability

Question 45

fibril

Answer 45

a small filament or fiber, one example being one of the fine threads into which a striated muscle fiber can be longitudinally split

Question 46

filament

Answer 46

a single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object, process, or appendage

Question 47

fiber

Answer 47

1. a thread or a structure or object resembling a thread
2. mostly indigestible material in food (such as legumes, whole grains, and vegetables) that stimulates the intestine to peristalsis and promotes elimination of waste from the large intestine: also called BULK or ROUGHAGE

Question 48

pleural effusion

Answer 48

Pleural effusion, sometimes referred to as “water on the lungs,” is the build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs. The pleura are thin membranes that line the lungs and the inside of the chest cavity and act to lubricate and facilitate breathing.

Question 49

flail chest

Answer 49

Flail chest — defined as two or more contiguous rib fractures with two or more breaks per rib — is one of the most serious of these injuries and is often associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. It occurs when a portion of the chest wall is destabilized, usually from severe blunt force trauma.

Question 50

contiguous

Answer 50

1. being in actual contact: touching along a boundary or at a point
2. next or near in time or sequence
3. touching or connected throughout in an unbroken sequence

Question 51

acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

Answer 51

A type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin coloration (cyanosis). For those who survive, a decreased quality of life is common.

Causes may include sepsis, pancreatitis, trauma, pneumonia, and aspiration. The underlying mechanism involves diffuse injury to cells which form the barrier of the microscopic air sacs of the lungs, surfactant dysfunction, activation of the immune system, and dysfunction of the body’s regulation of blood clotting. In effect, ARDS impairs the lungs’ ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Although the terminology of “adult respiratory distress syndrome” has at times been used to differentiate ARDS from “infant respiratory distress syndrome” in newborns, the international consensus is that “acute respiratory distress syndrome” is the best term because ARDS can affect people of all ages.

Question 52

adventitious

Answer 52

1. happening or carried on according to chance rather than design or inherent nature
2. coming from outside; not native
3. formed accidentally or in an unusual anatomical position

Question 53

fibrosis, fibrotic

Answer 53

a condition marked by increase of interstitial fibrous tissue