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Respiratory system

respiratory system 

Respiratory system The respiratory system is one of the most important vital organs in the human body.  It provides the body with the oxygen necessary for life, the partial or complete lack of which can lead to death;  Brain cells would die after nearly four minutes without oxygen, according to NYU Langone Medical Center.

An adult human breathes from 12-16 breaths per minute, while the normal respiratory rate for newborns is about 40 times every minute, and it may slow down to reach between 20-40 times when the child is asleep, and breathing includes the entry of oxygen into the lungs, and the exit of carbon dioxide.

Parts of the respiratory system

The human respiratory system consists of the following parts:

• The nose: the first part of the respiratory system, and it is lined from the inside by two types of cells, mucus-secreting cells and ciliated cells. Both types of cells work to moisten the air, warm it and purify it of impurities.

• Pharynx: a common passageway for food and air, so the epiglottis - which is a piece of cartilage - closes the entrance to the larynx when food passes to prevent suffocation. The pharynx is divided into three sections: the nasopharynx, the oropharynx, and the larynx.

• Larynx: An organ that transfers air from the pharynx to the parts of the respiratory tract. The skeleton of the larynx consists of approximately twelve pieces of cartilage connected to each other by ligaments and membranes.

• Trachea and its branches: The trachea is a tube that acts as a passage for air, and its length ranges from 10-12 centimeters.  Gas exchange takes place, and the inner walls of the bronchi are missing from the incompletely rounded cartilaginous rings that are found in both the trachea and bronchi.  The trachea and its branches are lined from the inside with a respiratory epithelium (respiratory epithelium) that contains cilia.  pharynx to be swallowed.

• Lungs: The chest contains a right lung consisting of three lobes, and a left lung consisting of two lobes, which is smaller than the right lung because the heart is tilted towards the left side of the body, and each lung is surrounded by a thin membrane called a pleural sac.  Capillaries.

Mechanism of breathing.

The breathing process includes three stages, the first of which is inhalation, which means the entry of air into the lungs, the second of gas exchange, and the last stage is exhalation, and all of this is done under the supervision of the peripheral nervous system, and this is done as follows:

• Inhalation and exhalation: Inhalation is the process of atmospheric air entering the lungs, and when inhalation occurs, the diaphragm muscle that separates the chest and abdomen contracts, so the diaphragm moves down, and the intercostal muscles that are between the ribs move outward, causing an increase in the size of the chest cavity and a decrease in air pressure inside the lungs, which leads  There is a difference between atmospheric pressure and air pressure in the lungs, so the air from the nasal passages is pushed towards the lungs to equal the pressure, while during exhalation, the diaphragm muscle relaxes, the size of the thoracic cavity decreases, and the air pressure in the lungs increases, which leads to the rush of air from the lungs into the atmosphere.

• Gas exchange: Gas exchange occurs between the alveoli and the capillaries that surround them, where the alveoli are filled with air rich in oxygen and the percentage of carbon dioxide in it is low, while the blood in the capillaries is rich in carbon dioxide and the percentage of oxygen in it is low, so oxygen moves from the alveoli  The air flows to the blood in the capillaries by simple diffusion, and the oxygen-rich blood is transferred to the heart to be distributed to the different parts of the body.  It carries it through the veins to the heart.

Respiratory diseases

The respiratory system is exposed to many diseases that are classified into four general areas, namely:

• Obstructive respiratory diseases: Examples include asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis.

• Restrictive respiratory diseases: Examples include fibrosis, granulomatosis (sarcoidosis), alveolar injury (damage to the alveoli), and pleural effusion (pleural effusion).

• Vascular diseases: pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary edema (edema of the lungs), pulmonary embolism.

• Infectious diseases resulting from exposure to pollutants: pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Prevention of respiratory diseases

The following are the most important rules that must be adhered to to prevent diseases of the lungs and respiratory system:

• Refrain from smoking and avoid passive smoking.

• Doing exercise regularly.

• Avoid exposure to pollutants such as dust, smoke, and chemicals.

• Avoid infection, by making sure to take the flu vaccine annually, drink enough water, eat vegetables and fruits to boost the immune system, and wash hands with soap and water regularly.

• Breathe deeply to clean the lungs and increase their efficiency with gas exchange, and deep breathing can be practiced by taking a breath from the nose with a count of up to 4 and then exhaling the air more slowly from the mouth with a count of up to 8.