L02 Flashcards
Respiratory malfunctions: asthma
Symptoms and effects
Recurring episodes of breathlessness, tightness of the chest and wheezing.
Asthma attacks- episodes of wheezing that requires the use of an inhaler.
Asthma biological explanation
Inflammation of the bronchi
which carries air in and out of the lungs.
Causes bronchi to be more sensitive
Allergens irritates the lungs
Makes airways become narrow
Muscles tighten
Increase in production of mucus
Cause of asthma
Not known but can be due to: genetics, allergies, exposure to tobacco as a child.
Emphysema symptoms and effects
Shortness of breathe, wheezing.
Symptoms could get worse over time.
Frequent chest infections
Emphysema biological explanation
The airways of the lungs become inflamed and narrowed
The air sacs (alveoli) get damaged permanently.
Emphysema cause
The lifestyle of smoking can be a responsible for the condition.
Cystic fibrosis symptoms and effects
Lung problems- reoccurring chest infections, coughing
Digestive system- diarrhoea and malnutrition because the body struggles to guest digest and absorb nutrients.
Biological explanation
Condition is present at birth due to defect in a gene on chromosome 7 that controls the movement of salt and water in and out of the cells in the body. The protein that is produced by the gene causing mucus.
This alongside recurrent infections results in a build up of sticky mucus in the lungs and digestive system.
Cause of cystic fibrosis
Both parents but have a copy of the dusky mutated gene. If only one copy of the family is inherited that child will be a carrier but will not have the condition themselves.
What is a spirometry?
Test carried out to measure the breathing capacity of the lungs, it measures the volume of air expired in total and the force of the or the expiration in the first second breathing out.
Used to monitor all 3 respiratory malfunctions
Structure of the respiratory
The respiratory system consists of the:
Larynx
Tranchea, bronchi and bronchioles
Alveoli
Diaphragm
Intercostal muscles
Pleural muscles
Inspiration and expiration
What is the role of the pleural membranes
-Consists of 2 layers of thin membrane
-they are moist and slippery
-thin liquid between the two layers
-lubricators the surface so they slide over each other.
-allowing the lungs to move easily within the chest cavity.
-means that they move with the chest wall as breathing occurs.
The role of Diaphragm and intercostal muscles in inspiration and expiration
-When breathing in (inspiration) the intercostal muscles pull the rib cage upwards and outwards
- the diaphragm flatterns inwards
-result of these two movements is an increase in volume and a decrease in pressure
-this force/ air into the lungs an they inflate.
When breathing out,
Reverse happens
-diaphragm lifts back into a dome shape
Intercostal muscles pull the rib cage inwards and downwards.
-this forces carbon dioxide out if the lungs and deflate.
Gaseous exchange
The role of alveoli walls
-exchange of oxygen and c02 takes place in the alveoli.
-walls are very thin.
- surrounded by capillaries which gases are exchanged.
-structure of the alveoli is like bunches of grapes increases the surface area. To allow maximum crossover.
-diffusion allows oxygen to move out of the alveoli to the capillaries.
- then into the blood streams
-also allowes co2 to move out of capillaries into the alveoli
- and to lungs to be exhaled
Cellular respiration
What is it?
Complex or chemicals reactions and processes that take place in the mitochondria to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into ATP and then release waste products.
