Adelekan Oluwaseun Ojo.
Respiratory disease is any of the diseases and disorders of the airways and the lungs that affect human respiration.
Diseases of the respiratory system may affect any of the structures and organs that have to do with breathing, including the nasal cavities, the pharynx (or throat), the larynx, the trachea (or windpipe), the bronchi and bronchioles, the tissues of the lungs, and the respiratory muscles of the chest cage.
The respiratory tract is the site of an exceptionally large range of disorders for three main reasons:
(1) it is exposed to the environment and therefore may be affected by inhaled organisms, dusts, or gases;
(2) it possesses a large network of capillaries through which the entire output of the heart has to pass, which means that diseases that affect the small blood vessels are likely to affect the lung; and
(3) it may be the site of “sensitivity” or allergic phenomena that may profoundly affect function.
Respiratory disorders, or lung diseases, are disorders such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, lung cancer, mesothelioma, pulmonary hypertension, and tuberculosis. If left untreated, lung disease can produce health complications, problematic symptoms, and life-threatening conditions.
Lung disease is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, and lung disease and other breathing problems are leading causes of death in infants.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of lung disease are relatively few. Cough is a particularly important sign of all diseases that affect any part of the bronchial tree. A cough productive of sputum is the most important manifestation of inflammatory or malignant diseases of the major airways, of which bronchitis is a common example. In severe bronchitis the mucous glands lining the bronchi enlarge greatly, and, commonly, 30 to 60 ml of sputum are produced in a 24-hour period, particularly in the first two hours after awakening in the morning. An irritative cough without sputum may be caused by extension of malignant disease to the bronchial tree from nearby organs. The presence of blood in the sputum (hemoptysis) is an important sign that should never be disregarded. Although it may result simply from an exacerbation of an existing infection, it may also indicate the presence of inflammation, capillary damage, or a tumour. Hemoptysis is also a classic sign of tuberculosis of the lungs.
The second most important symptom of lung disease is dyspnea, or shortness of breath. This sensation, of complex origin, may arise acutely, as when a foreign body is inhaled into the trachea, or with the onset of a severe attack of asthma. More often, it is insidious in onset and slowly progressive. What is noted is a slowly progressive difficulty in completing some task, such as walking up a flight of stairs, playing golf, or walking uphill. The shortness of breath may vary in severity, but in diseases such as emphysema, in which there is irreversible lung damage, it is constantly present.
Major diseases of the respiratory system
Viral infections of the respiratory system
A wide variety of viruses are responsible for acute respiratory disease.
- Influenza and parainfluenza viruses are capable of causing severe illness. The influenza virus attacks many systems of the body simultaneously, but the primary site of viral replication appears to be the alveolar cells of the lung.
- Psittacosis and ornithosis, primarily infections of birds and particularly common among parakeets and parrots, are transmitted to humans by inhalation of dust particles from the droppings of infected birds.
- Chickenpox (varicella), particularly when it occurs in adults, may affect the lung. Acute lesions may occur in the lung parenchyma, leading to a transient but significant fall in arterial oxygen tension (hypoxemia), occasionally necessitating oxygen therapy.
- Whooping cough occurs in epidemic form among children and appears to be linked to the later development of the chronic infective process known as bronchiectasis, which occurs as a result of bronchial damage.
The reparative processes in the lung after any viral attack may be quite slow. Apparent clinical recovery may occur relatively quickly and radiographs may show no remaining shadows, yet repair and restitution of the alveolar wall may take several additional weeks. Sometimes a cough persists for two or three months after systemic symptoms have resolved, reflecting continued healing of the bronchi. However, the occurrence of a severe viral infection in childhood may impair subsequent development of the lung or even set the stage for chronic respiratory disease in later life.
Bacterial infections of the respiratory system
- Pneumonia: Before effective antibiotics became available, pneumonia was the respiratory disease responsible for the greatest mortality and consequently was one of the most-feared diseases. Because it frequently led to the death of severely disabled elderly people, it was also known as the “old man’s friend.”
-Legionnaires disease: The bacterium had evaded detection before because it does not stain with the usual stains used in sputum examination. Today it is known that this bacterium may grow in air-conditioning systems or on shower heads, and it has been shown to be responsible for sporadic but severe outbreaks of pneumonia, particularly but not exclusively in older people. Fortunately, the bacterium is sensitive to erythromycin and other antibiotics.
-Tuberculosis: Of all the lung diseases caused by bacteria, pulmonary tuberculosis is historically by far the most important. Particular features of this dreaded condition include the severe general debilitation and weakness that it may cause
- Q fever : is an infection with the pathogenic bacteria Coxiella burnetii. The disease was first described in Queensland, Australia; areas in which Q fever is known to be endemic include Australia, the western United States, Africa, England, and the Mediterranean countries. Animal infection is widespread and involves a large variety of domestic farm animals, particularly cattle and sheep, and some wild animals. Transmission is believed to occur between mammals through ticks and mice. Human disease, which is uncommon, is probably acquired through inhalation of infected material. Laboratory workers and employees in slaughterhouses are particularly at risk. Q fever is usually a mild and self-limited disease, requiring only symptomatic treatment.
- Allergic lung diseases: There are at least three reasons why the lungs are particularly liable to be involved in allergic responses. First, the lungs are exposed to the outside environment, and, hence, particles of foreign substances such as pollen may be deposited directly in the lungs; second, the walls of the bronchial tree contain smooth muscle that is very likely to be stimulated to contract if histamine is released by cells affected by the allergic reaction; and, third, the lung contains a very large vascular bed, which may be involved in any general inflammatory response.
- Asthma is characterized by spasmotic contraction of the smooth muscle of the airways, by increased production of an abnormally viscous mucus by bronchial mucous glands, and, in severe attacks, by airway obstruction from mucus that has accumulated in the bronchial tree. This results in a greater or lesser degree of difficulty in breathing.
- Hay fever is a common seasonal condition caused by allergy to grasses and pollens. It is frequently familial, and the sensitivity is often to ragweed pollen. Conjunctival infection and edema of the nasal mucosa lead to attacks of sneezing. Allergic inflammation and the development of polyps in the nasal passages represent a severer form of hay fever that is often associated with asthma.
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an important group of conditions in which the lung is sensitized by contact with a variety of agents and in which the response to reexposure consists of an acute pneumonitis, with inflammation of the smaller bronchioles, alveolar wall edema, and a greater or lesser degree of airflow obstruction due to smooth muscle contraction.
- Acute bronchitis most commonly occurs as a consequence of viral infection. It may also be precipitated by acute exposure to irritant gases, such as ammonia, chlorine, or sulfur dioxide. In people with chronic bronchitis—a common condition in cigarette smokers—exacerbations of infection are common.
- Bronchiolitis refers to inflammation of the small airways. Bronchiolitis probably occurs to some extent in acute viral disorders, particularly in children between the ages of one and two years, and particularly in infections with respiratory syncytial virus.
- Bronchiectasis is thought to usually begin in childhood, possibly after a severe attack of pneumonia. It consists of a dilatation of major bronchi. The bronchi become chronically infected, and excess sputum production and episodes of chest infection are common. In some cases, clubbing (swelling of the fingertips and, occasionally, of the toes) may occur.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers broadly to a group of conditions that cause irreversible respiratory impairment by increasing obstruction to airflow through the bronchi of the lungs. This condition occurs most commonly in current or former regular cigarette smokers and affects some 210 million people worldwide.
- Chronic bronchitis: The chronic cough and sputum production of chronic bronchitis were once dismissed as nothing more than “smoker’s cough,” without serious implications. But the striking increase in mortality from chronic bronchitis and emphysema that occurred after World War II in all Western countries indicated that the long-term consequences of chronic bronchitis could be serious.
- Pulmonary emphysema: This irreversible disease consists of destruction of alveolar walls. It occurs in two forms, centrilobular emphysema, in which the destruction begins at the centre of the lobule, and panlobular (or panacinar) emphysema, in which alveolar destruction occurs in all alveoli within the lobule simultaneously.
- Lung Cancer: Because lung cancer is characterized by different types of tumours, because it may be located in different parts of the lung, and because it may spread beyond the lungs at an early stage, the first symptoms noted by the patient vary. These symptoms may include a persistent cough, blood staining of the sputum, a pneumonia that does not resolve fully with antibiotics, or shortness of breath due to a pleural effusion.
- Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a disease of unknown cause characterized by accumulation in the alveolar spaces of surfactant. Small amounts of this lipid- and protein-rich fluid normally line the surfaces of the alveoli, reducing surface tension and thereby keeping the air spaces open. Buildup of this liquid within the air spaces interferes with gas exchange and causes progressive shortness of breath.
- Circulatory disorders: The lung is commonly involved in disorders of the circulation. The most important and common of these is blockage of a branch of the pulmonary artery by blood clot, which has usually formed in the veins of the legs or of the pelvis. The resulting pulmonary embolism leads to changes in the lung supplied by the affected artery.
Treatment Of Respiratory Diseases.
CRDs are not curable; however, various forms of treatment that help open the air passages and improve shortness of breath can help control symptoms and improve daily life for people living with these conditions.
Treatment will depend on the cause of your RTI:
A virus (like colds) – this usually clears up by itself after a few weeks and antibiotics will not help.
Bacteria (like pneumonia) – a GP may prescribe antibiotics (make sure you complete the whole course as advised by a GP, even if you start to feel better)
Sometimes a sample of your mucus may need to be tested to see what’s causing your RTI
There’s currently no cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but treatment can help slow the progression of the condition and control the symptoms.
Treatments include:
stopping smoking – if you have COPD and you smoke, this is the most important thing you can do
inhalers and tablets – to help make breathing easier
pulmonary rehabilitation – a specialised programme of exercise and education
surgery or a lung transplant – although this is only an option for a very small number of people
A doctor will discuss the various treatment options with you..
JIGSIMUR will also help as a natural solution because of its phyto nutrient, and efficacy in clearing viral, bacteria fungal and parasitic infections off the body.
……………………Adelekan Oluwaseun Ojo, is a counseling psychologist, and a business & health consultant with Jigsimur Zdex Int’l, a company which is into the production and distribution of Jigsimur herbal health drink, a natural curative and preventive herbal medicine from South Africa.
For personal consultation, you can contact us on 07089225319 or 08035122399