11.3 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISORDERS

TONSILLITIS

Infection of the tonsils

Bacterial or viral

Symptoms: red and swollen tonsils, sore throat, fever, swollen glands

Treatment: surgically removed

Tonsils: in the pharynx, back of throat, keep bacteria/harmful substances out of respiratory system

LARYNGITIS

Inflammation of larynx

Causes: infection or overstraining the voice

Clears up after a few days

PNEUMONIA

Inflammation and fluid build-up in alveoli

Bacterial or viral

Types: lobular and bronchial

Treatment: antibiotics (bacterial), anti-virals, vaccines

Lobular pneumonia involves only a single

lobe of the lungs, and is most often

caused by a bacterial infection. Bronchial

pneumonia affects patches of both lungs

in the areas around the bronchi or

bronchioles.

BRONCHITIS

Inflammation, redness, extra mucus

in membranes of bronchi

Mucus expelled by coughing

• short term: caused by a bacteria

• long term (chronic): caused by regular exposure to concentrations of dust, chemical compounds, or cigarette smoke

• destroy the cilia

BRONCHITIS

chronic bronchitis: aka COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and leads to infection, persistent cough, and build-up of mucus

• treatment (not cure): medications, quit smoking, special exercise programs

ASTHMA

Inflammation of bronchi and chronchioles

Trigger: pollen, dust, smoke

• narrows air passages, reduces airflow

• symptoms: wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath

• cannot be cured but can be managed

• treatments: inhalers and muscle-relaxing medications

• Video (2:28)

EMPHYSEMA

Alveolus walls lose elasticity

• Reduces respiratory respiratory surface for gas exchange

• breathing is laboured due to collapsed bronchioles

• a class of COPD that is incurable

• symptoms can be treated with inhalers or low-flow oxygen tanks

• causes include smoking and airborne irritants

• video (2:39)

CYSTIC FIBROSIS

• a genetic condition

• cells lining the airways release thick,

sticky mucus that clogs the lungs

• difficulty breathing

• may have more bacterial infections since mucus cannot be removed

• no cure

• Relieve symptoms by mucus-thinning medications and antibiotics

• gene therapy has been used since 1993 in an attempt to provide the correct DNA to the cells that line the airways

LUNG CANCER

• uncontrolled cell division

• a carcinoma (tumour) forms and can grow large enough to reduce respiratory surface area

• tumour can break away and form more elsewhere (metastasis)

• symptoms: persistent cough, difficulty breathing, chest pain, loss of appetite

• leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada (more than 80% diagnosed die within five years)

• main cause is smoking, but there are others

DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

CT SCANNING

• main diagnostic tool for respiratory disorders

• a special X ray machine (video 1:00)

• computed axial tomography scanner (CT or CAT scan)

• rotating X ray device takes 360°images of body’s interior

• sometimes a dye is also used

(A) The CT scanner takes about 1000

photographs in one complete rotation.

(B) This CT scan shows the chest, with

both lungs and the heart in between

them (the white area near the centre of

the image).

CT SCANNING

• a spiral CT scanner was developed in the 1980s

• produces a clear, detailed view of blood vessels and internal tissues in chest cavity

• good for detecting early lung cancer and finding internal injuries

(A) A conventional CT scanner creates images by

photographing vertical “slices” of the body as it

slowly passes through the machine. (B) A spiral CT

scanner photographs spiral cross sections of the body as

it passes through the machine.

The data from a spiral CT scan create a

series of images of the body tissues

that can be used to make 3-dimensional

pictures of areas inside the body, such

as the lungs.

TWO-PHOTON MICROSCOPY (TPM)

• an imaging tool

• microscopes emit photons of light that highlight tissue that has been fluoresced with a marker

• produces a 3-D image without extracting a sample

• can also show biochemical processes

• Eg. how different drugs applied to the skin are absorbed and used by the tissues

BRONCHOSCOPY

• Bronchial endoscopy

• uses a special type of endoscope

• examine trachea and lungs

• under general anesthesia, endoscope inserted down mouth/nose

• special attachments can :

• collect mucus or tissue to diagnose disorders (such as asthma)

• remove tumours

• repair damaged tissues

• Video (5:15)

TREATING LUNG CANCER

• 3 main techniques:

1. radiation: uses X rays or other radiation to destroy cancer cells

2. chemotherapy: uses drugs administered by mouth or injection to destroy cancer cells

3. laser surgery: removal of the area of the lung that contains tumours with a yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser

• choice depends on:

• type and extent of the cancer

• age and health of the person

HOMEWORK

p.464#2-6,8-12, 14-16