9781422280317

What Is Respiratory Disease?

bunch of inflatable air sacs, called alveoli. The alveoli’s membranes are covered with tiny blood vessels. Oxygen crosses over the membranes into the blood stream, and the blood rushes to the parts of the body where oxygen is needed. Carbon dioxide, meanwhile, travels in the opposite direction: it passes out of the alveoli and is exhaled. In addition to the oxygen we need to survive, the air we

Educational Video Scan this code for a video about the respiratory system.

breathe also carries microorganisms and irritants , all of which can harm the body. To combat this, respiratory system airways are covered with sticky mucus and thousands of tiny hairs, called cilia. The microorganisms and pollutants get stuck in the mucus, and the cilia sweep the mucus back up the respiratory tract to be sneezed out, coughed up, or swallowed. How Do Things Go Wrong? When a person has a chronic respiratory disease, the body’s air delivery system breaks down. This can happen if the air passageways become blocked, making it more difficult to get oxygen to alveoli and the tiny blood vessels. This is what happens when a person gets a serious respiratory infection, such as bronchitis or pneumonia. There’s inflammation, and lot of fluid is produced that blocks bronchial tubes or fills the air sacs. When a person has asthma, things like smoke or mold irritate the bronchial tubes and trigger the immune system. There’s inflammation and mucus, just as

13