• Bronchitis Treatment: Inhaling moist air from a humidifier or steamy shower can help loosen and thin mucus, making breathing easier.
• Bronchitis Symptoms: Coughing, sore throat, chest congestion, and coughing up thick mucus.
• Bronchitis Cause: Usually caused by viruses, not bacteria, so antibiotics are generally ineffective.
• Bronchitis Definition: Inflammation of the bronchial tubes, causing narrowing and excessive mucus production.
• Mucus Function and Problem: Mucus traps pathogens but excessive production hinders airflow, leading to coughing.
• Bronchitis Treatment: Thinning mucus for effective coughing through fluids, humidifiers, steam, and expectorants, while avoiding cough suppressants.
• Reason for Pulse Oximetry: To check Sacheen’s blood oxygen level and ensure clogged airways weren’t impacting her oxygen intake.
• Difference Between Acute and Chronic Bronchitis: Acute bronchitis is a short-term condition often caused by a cold or flu, while chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition often caused by smoking and associated with COPD.
• Smoking Cessation Advice: Dr. Tsosie strongly advised Sacheen to quit smoking to prevent future respiratory infections, COPD, and lung cancer.
• Respiratory System Function: Critical for gas exchange and protecting the body from harmful substances in the air.
• Respiratory System Vulnerability: Prone to infections and damage from allergens, mold, air pollution, and cigarette smoke.
• Respiratory System Overview: Comprises the upper respiratory tract (nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx) for air conduction and the lower respiratory tract (trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs) for conduction and gas exchange.
• Respiratory System Defense: The mucociliary escalator, consisting of mucus-producing cells and cilia, protects the lungs by trapping and expelling harmful particles and pathogens.
• Breathing Regulation: The respiratory system, controlled by the brain, regulates breathing rate based on carbon dioxide levels in the blood to maintain homeostasis.
• Breathing Mechanics: Breathing involves inhaling (active process driven by diaphragm contraction) and exhaling (passive process driven by lung elasticity).
• Gas Exchange Definition: The biological process of transferring gases across cell membranes for entering or leaving the blood.
• Gas Exchange Mechanism: Occurs by diffusion across cell membranes, moving down a concentration gradient from high to low concentration.
• Lung Gas Exchange: Takes place in alveoli, where deoxygenated blood picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.
• Smoking and COPD: Smoking is the primary cause of COPD, reducing lung elasticity and impairing exhalation.
• Smoking and Lung Cancer: Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, a malignant tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in the lungs.
• Health Risks of Smoking: Smoking poses numerous health risks, including increased risk of various cancers, cardiovascular disease, and other adverse effects.
• Respiratory System Function: The respiratory system facilitates gas exchange, bringing oxygen into the body and removing carbon dioxide.
• Gas Exchange Mechanism: Oxygen and carbon dioxide flow across membranes based on concentration gradients, moving from areas of higher to lower concentration.
• COPD and Blood pH: COPD can lead to elevated carbon dioxide levels, causing respiratory acidosis and prompting the body to compensate by increasing breathing rate.
• Bronchitis Treatment: Changes to the environment, such as more frequent cleaning, would not help asthma caused by a gene.
• Bronchitis Definition: Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi, the large and medium-sized airways in the lungs that carry air from the trachea.
• Bronchodilator Definition: A medication that opens constricted airways.
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