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Respiratory Issues
What effects our Respiratory System?
Coughs and Colds
 Many different organisms can cause
the common cold and cough and the
symptoms often feel the same
 All conditions are infections of the
upper respiratory tract, they affect
breathing passages above the lungs
Coughs and Colds
 Viruses are usually responsible for
these types of illnesses
 There are over a hundred different
types of viruses that cause coughs
and colds
 Unfortunately these viruses cannot be
destroyed by antibiotics
 Bacteria, such as staphylococcus will
respond to drugs
Coughs and Colds
 Colds usually start with a virus attack—a
fever / inflammation of the nose lining and
air-filled spaces called sinuses may become
blocked or infected
 Nasal linings produce lots of mucus, fill up
and cause uncomfortable blockage of
sinuses
 Bacteria may also attack inflamed areas
causing painful sinuses, coughing and sore
throats
Coughs and Colds
 Sneezing occurs as the body tries to
get rid of irritation in air passages
 A fine spray of mucus and tiny water
droplets packed with infectious
particles is produced
 This sneeze spray may be shot out of
the mouth at speeds of up to 100mph
and travel as far as 6 ft. away from
you
Coughs and Colds
 Sneeze spray can be easily inhaled by
another person, thereby spreading
the infection
 PLEASE, ALWAYS SNEEZE INTO THE
CROOK OF YOUR ARM!
 Wash your hands regularly too (with
soap and warm water please, for the
duration of a short song), particularly
after blowing your nose
Strep
 The throat/pharynx may become
infected with streptococcus bacteria
 Strep causes severe sore throats
 Tonsilitis (inflamed tonsils)
 Pharyngitis (inflammation of the back
of the mouth)
Influenza
 Contagious virus
 Characterized by inflammation of the
respiratory tract
 Fever
 Muscle pain
Pertusis
 Whooping Cough
 Cold like symptoms
 Highly contagious, spread through
coughing and sneezing
 May lead to pneumonia
 Nasal or throat culture,Swab test
 Antibiotic Treatment
Pneumonia
 Pneumonia is a severe inflammation
of the lungs
 The thin tissue around one’s air sacs
(alveoli) becomes badly swollen
 These spaces may also become filled
with fluid
 Pneumonia may be caused by
bacteria, viruses, fungi or by inhaling
foreign matter
Tuberculosis
 TB, Coughing Plague
 Infectious disease
 Characterized by the formation of
tubercles in lung tissue
Asthma
 Comes from the Greek verb “ to pant
or to breath hard”
 Asthma is a chronic disease which
millions of children and adults in the
U.S. have
 Many people with Asthma have
allergies which cause symptoms such
as a stuffy nose or rashes
Asthma
 People with Asthma may make wheezing or
whistling sounds because the air they
breathe is forced through a narrow passage
 Asthmatics may have trouble breathing and
become hoarse from frequent coughing
spells
 Asthmatics may breathe in short, rapid
breaths and experience occasional chest
tightness
Asthma
 Those with Asthma or allergies may
not be able to smell or taste well
 Infants who have an asthma flare up
may not suck or drink strongly,
breathe rapidly or have a blue tinge
to their skin
Asthma
 Most respiratory systems are
incredibly efficient breathing
machines
 However, people who have Asthma
have respiratory systems that do not
always function quite right
Asthma
 Tobacco, pollen or other substances
such as dust mites or animal dander,
irritates the membranes lining the the
bronchial tubes
 Membranes become red and swollen,
narrowing the airways which lead into
the lungs
 Muscles in the bronchial tubes tighten
up and make the airway even smaller
Asthma
 Asthmatics can’t always breathe in enough
oxygen or exhale enough CO2
 People with Asthma must work extra hard
to breathe at times
 Secondhand smoke is particularly
dangerous for those with Asthma
 Health Watch Susan Dudley Gold, p.9 view
of persons lungs during an Asthma attack
Cancer
 Cancer occurs when cells in the body
begin to grow out of control.
 Cells keep growing in a disorderly
way and crowd out normal cells
 There are many different kinds of
cancer but they all have this out-ofcontrol cell growth in common
Lung Cancer
 Most Lung Cancers start in lining of
the bronchi
 Sometimes they begin in the trachea,
brochioles or alveoli
 Lung cancer often takes many years
to develop
Lung Cancer
 Leading cause of cancer death for
Men and Women with average age of
60
 In 2004, there were approximately
173, 770 new cases of cancer in the
U.S.
 And, approximately 160,440 people
will die of the disease
Lung Cancer
 There may be areas of pre-cancerous
changes
 If there are not masses or tumors
they cannot be detected by x-ray and
do not necessarily cause symptoms
 Changes can be found by special
testing of cells in the lining of the
airways of lungs damaged by smoke
Lung Cancer
 Lung Cancer is so deadly because it
often spreads before it is found
 2 main types:
SCLC-small cell lung cancer
NSCLC- non-small cell lung cancer
 3 subtypes:
Squamous cell carcinoma – usually
linked to smoking history, tend to be
found centrally, near a bronchus
Lung Cancer
 Adenocarcinoma – usually found in
the outer region of the lung
 Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma
– can appear in any part of the lung
and tends to grow and spread quickly,
resulting in poor diagnosis
 Carcinoid tumors – can also occur in
the lungs, they are slow growing and
can often be cured by surgery
Resources
 American Lung Association,
www.lungusa.org
 American Cancer Society,
www.cancer.org
 Epidemic, Eyewitness series
 Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
America, www.aafa.org