The trachea is the tube that connects the bronchi to the throat. The bronchi are further trachea divisions. One proceeds to left lung while the other into the right one. In the lungs, each bronchi separates into smaller bronchi. The broncheoli are bronchi branches, which are smaller tubes that amount to pulmonary alveolus. The pulmonary alveoli are tiny air sacs delineated through single-layer membranes that have blood capillaries on either end. The lungs’ inner surfaces are where gaseous exchange takes place due to the alveoli structure. The lungs are a pair of organs within the vertebrates (Collins & Eric, 2012). For this reason, the lungs structure includes a bronchial tree where the air tubes branch off from bronchi into smaller tubes of air where each ends in the pulmonary alveolus.
The main function of the respiratory system is breathing. The act of breathing encompasses two main stages, which include inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation is the intake of air to the lungs notable through the expansion of the entire chest volume. On the other hand, exhalation involves the lungs expelling air through chest volume contraction. Exhalation and inhalation involves muscles, that is, Rib muscles (muscles in the chest between the ribs) and the diaphragm muscle (Weinberger, Cockrill & Mandel, 2013). Muscle movement –rib muscles and the diaphragm are relaxing and contracting, thus causes decrease and increase of the chest cavity. In inhalation, the body muscles contract. This includes contraction of rib and diaphragm muscle. In exhalation, muscles relax and air passes in the lungs from the high pressure into low-pressure areas within the tract of upper respiratory organs.
The respiratory and the cardiovascular systems collectively work towards a common goal. This involves getting oxygen into tissues as well as getting out carbon dioxide. For this reason, the respiratory system connects application in supply of oxygen for the blood and removal of carbon dioxide. Upon receiving blood (high in carbon dioxide and low in oxygen), the heart pumps it towards the lungs through pulmonary arteries. In times that the lungs expand to fetch fresh air from the surrounding, there is a transfer of through the alveoli into low-oxygen blood (Collins & Eric, 2012). This further sends a considerable amount of the carbon dioxide to the lungs once again. Having this blood engraved with fresh oxygen, it proceeds back to the heart for pumping throughout the body.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory illness affecting the airways. With it, there are reversible airflow obstructions and bronchospasm. Other symptoms include chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Symptoms of asthma include recurrent episodes of shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. Sputum from the lung is evident through coughing even though it is not as often. While recovering from attack, it appears as though pus due to the high amounts of white blood cells. Causes of asthma include solicitation of a complex range of genetic and environmental interactions. Such factors affect the severity and hence the treatment responsiveness. The belief is that such increased asthma rates result from changing epigenetics (Weinberger, Cockrill & Mandel, 2013). This includes heritable factors above those with relation to DNA sequences and changing living environments. The advent of the effectiveness of approaches towards preventing the attack of asthma is frail. Some illustrate promise such as breastfeeding, reducing contact with smoke exposure both after delivery and in utero, and exposure to daycare.
References
Collins, J., Eric J. (2012) Stern Chest Radiology: The Essentials. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Weinberger, S. E., Cockrill, B. A., Mandel, J., (2013) Principles of Pulmonary Medicine. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences,
