Respiratory Problems

HICCUPS

• Diaphragm, the muscle below your chest cavity, sudden jerks and you find yourself sucking in air quickly.

• The air flow causes the epiglottis to snap shut, which makes the “hiccup” sound.

SNOT AND BOOGERS• Snot Mucus!• Mucus is a thick, slimy substance

made of water, salt, and chemicals. It lines your nasal cavity, trachea, and bronchial tubes.

• Boogers Dried up snot (mucus) combined with the dust, pollen, dirt, and bacteria the mucus collected when cleaning the air.

• The average person swallows about a quart of snot a day.

SNEEZE• Air and mucus from the nasal

cavity blast out of your nose at a high speed.

• Body uses this mechanism to clear the airways out to prevent infection and keep air clean.

• A sneeze triggered by something irritating the nasal cavity.

• Air from a sneeze can travel up to 100 mph!

COUGH

• A cough is a natural reflex that protects your lungs.

• Coughing helps clear your airways of mucus full of dirt, dust, and bacteria.

• Helps prevent infection of lung.

ASTHMA• Asthma is caused by

inflammation (swelling) in the airways (bronchiole).

• When an asthma attack occurs, the muscles surrounding the airways become irritated and tightened. The lining of the air passages swell.

• This reduces the amount of air that can pass by, and can lead to wheezing sounds.

BRONCHITIS

• Swelled, infected bronchi tubes.

• Infection causes a build-up of thick mucus.

EMPHYSEMA-smoking destroys lung tissue as well as breathing passages causing difficulty in

breathing.-Not able to get enough oxygen or eliminate carbon dioxide, causing shortness of breath

LUNG CANCER• 140,000 Americans

die each year from lung cancer.

• 40 chemicals in cigarettes cause cancerous growths and tumors to take over the lungs, taking up space where gas exchange should be occurring.

HYPERVENTILATE

• Rapid or deep breathing that can occur with anxiety or panic.

• Excessive breathing leads to low levels of carbon dioxide in your blood.

PNEUMONIA

• infection of one or both lungs which is usually caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

• Pneumonia is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

COLLAPSED LUNG• Collection of air in the

space around the lungs that has leaked out from a lung.

• This buildup of air puts pressure on the lung, so it cannot expand as much as it normally does when you take a breath.

• The escaped air needs to be drained surgically to let the lung expand and fill with oxygen normally.

PULMONARY EMBOLISM

• An artery to your lung becomes blocked.

• Gas exchange to the blocked part of the lungs is impossible.