FELYN JOY A.

AMBRAY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE 101

BSBA-FM 4

WRITTEN REPORT FOR RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Learning Outline:

1. Overview of Respiratory System

2. Functions of Respiratory System
3. Parts of Respiratory System
4. Respiratory Diseases
5. How to Care the Respiratory System

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1. Know the functions and use of respiratory system.

2. Enumerate the different parts of the system and its functions.
3. Know the possible diseases that our respiratory system might encounter.
4. Know how to take care our respiratory system.

Overview of Respiratory System

The respiratory system or ventilatory system is a biological system consisting of

specific organs and structures used for the process of respiration in an organism. It is
involved in the intake and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between an
organism and the environment. And it is made up of the organs in your body that help
you to breathe. Remember, that the goal of breathing is to deliver oxygen to the body
and to take away carbon dioxide.

Functions of Respiratory System

1. Supplies the body with oxygen and disposes of carbon dioxide

2. Filters inspired air
3. Produces sound
4. Contains receptors for smell
5. Rids the body of some excess water and heat
6. Helps regulate blood pH
 Parts of the Respiratory System

The respiratory system is divided into two main components:

Upper respiratory tract: Composed of the nose, the pharynx, and the larynx, the
organs of the upper respiratory tract are located outside the chest cavity.

 Nasal cavity: Inside the nose, the sticky mucous membrane lining the nasal
cavity traps dust particles, and tiny hairs called cilia help move them to the nose
to be sneezed or blown out.

 Sinuses: These air-filled spaces alongside the nose help make the skull lighter.

 Pharynx: Both food and air pass through the pharynx before reaching their
appropriate destinations. The pharynx also plays a role in speech.

 Larynx: The larynx is essential to human speech.

Lower respiratory tract: Composed of the trachea, the lungs, and all segments of the
bronchial tree (including the alveoli), the organs of the lower respiratory tract are located
inside the chest cavity.

 Trachea: Located just below the larynx, the trachea is the main airway to the
lungs.

 Lungs: Together the lungs form one of the body’s largest organs. They’re
responsible for providing oxygen to capillaries and exhaling carbon dioxide.

 Bronchi: The bronchi branch from the trachea into each lung and create the
network of intricate passages that supply the lungs with air.

 Diaphragm: The diaphragm is the main respiratory muscle that contracts and
relaxes to allow air into the lungs.
 Figure 1. The Respiratory System

Respiratory Diseases

A. Pneumoconiosism - literally, “an abnormal condition of dust in the lungs.” A

generic name for conditions where toxic particles become trapped in the lungs
and cause symptoms and disability such a “black lung” or “miner’s lung” disease.
B. Epistaxis - Medical term for nosebleed.
 C. Cystic fibrosis – an inheritable disease that affects not only the lungs but other
systems producing mucous such as the digestive system.
D. Emphysema (COPD) – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, of which
emphysema is one of, results in progressive destruction of the air sacs in the
lungs and loss of respiratory membrane for oxygen exchange.
E. Atelectasis - a collapsed lung. Literally, “an imperfect expansion” in Greek.

Lung Diseases Affecting the Airways

The trachea (windpipe) branches into tubes called bronchi, which in turn branch to
become progressively smaller tubes throughout the lungs. Diseases that affect the
airways include:

A. Asthma: The airways are persistently inflamed, and may occasionally spasm,
causing wheezing and shortness of breath.Allergies, infections, or pollution can
trigger asthma's symptoms.
B. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Lung conditions defined by
an inability to exhale normally, which causes difficulty breathing.
C. Chronic bronchitis: A form of COPD characterized by a chronic productive
cough.
D. Emphysema: Lung damage allows air to be trapped in the lungs in this form of
COPD. Difficulty blowing air out is its hallmark.
E. Acute bronchitis: A sudden infection of the airways, usually by a virus.
F. Cystic fibrosis: A genetic condition causing poor clearance of mucus from the
bronchi. The accumulated mucus results in repeated lung infections.

Lung Diseases Affecting the Air Sacs (Alveoli)

The airways eventually branch into tiny tubes (bronchioles) that dead-end into clusters
of air sacs called alveoli. These air sacs make up most of the lung tissue. Lung
diseases affecting the alveoli include:

A. Pneumonia: infection of the alveoli, usually by bacteria.

B. Tuberculosis: A slowly progressive pneumonia caused by the bacteria
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
C. Emphysema: results from damage to the fragile connections between alveoli.
Smoking is the usual cause. (Emphysema also limits airflow, affecting the
airways as well.)
D. Pulmonary edema: Fluid leaks out of the small blood vessels of the lung into the
air sacs and the surrounding area. One form is caused by heart failure and back
 pressure in the lungs' blood vessels; in another form, direct injury to the lung
causes the leak of fluid.
E. Lung cancer: has many forms, and may develop in any part of the lungs. Most
often this is in the main part of the lung, in or near the air sacs. The type,
location, and spread of lung cancer determine the treatment options.

How to Care the Respiratory System

A. Do not smoke - Of course, smoking is dangerous to your health. Everyone

knows that. It is because of the ingredients used in the cigarette that harms your
lungs and if you continue to smoke, nonetheless you might become a candidate
for lung cancer.
B. Avoid second hand smoke - Not only do smokers become candidates for lung
cancer. The effect of cigarette smoking can be doubled through second hand
smoking. This is because those who inhale cigarette smoke breathe in all of it
directly going to their lungs – unlike smokers who breathe out the smoke after
they inhale it.
C. Avoid air pollution - There is air pollution everywhere and we cannot easily
avoid that. But one thing is for sure – we can reduce air pollution by planting
more trees and plants.
D. Wash your hands frequently- Washing your hands can also contribute in
making your respiratory system healthy.
E. Exercise daily- Having daily exercise can help strengthen your respiratory
system. One of the best exercise routine to strengthen your respiratory systems
is swimming.

Trivia about respiratory system

 We depend on our respiratory system for our survival, since all of our vital
organs require oxygen in order to function. Brain cells will be damaged
after only a few minutes without oxygen (except under very special
conditions), and death will soon follow. Occasionally young children are
able to recover from lack of oxygen for longer than a few minutes after
their body has been chilled very rapidly. One situation in which this chilling
may occur is when a child falls through ice into cold water.
 The right lung is slightly larger than the left.
 Hairs in the nose help to clean the air we breath as well as warming it. The
highest recorded “sneeze speed” is 165 km per hour.
 The surface are of the lungs is roughly the same siza as a tennis court.
The capillaries of the lungs would extend 1,600 kilometers if placed end to
end.
 We lose half a litre of water a day through breathing. This is the water
vapour we see when we breathe onto glass.
 A person at rest usually breathes between 12-15 times a minute. The
breathing rate is faster in children and womeen than in men.