This document summarizes various respiratory system disorders. It discusses normal respiratory rates by age group and then outlines common upper respiratory diseases like the common cold, sinusitis, nasal polyps, sleep apnea, hay fever, tonsillitis and influenza. It also discusses lower respiratory diseases such as COPD, bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, pleurisy, tuberculosis, lung cancer and cystic fibrosis, providing details on symptoms and causes for each.

1. Respiratory System Disorders
Prepared by- Simranjeet Kaur
Assistant Professor Pharmacology
PCTE Group of Institutions

2. Respiratory Rates for Different Age
Groups
 Age Respirations per Minute
 Newborn 30–60
 1 year old 18–30
 16 year old 16–20
 Adult 12–20

3. Upper Respiratory Diseases
 Common cold
 Sinusitis
 Nasal polyps
 Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea
 Hay Fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis)
 Tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis
 Influenza

4. The Common Cold
 More than 200 strains of viruses are capable of causing this
disease. Metapneumovirus, has recently been described as a
major virus causing adult colds
 Unlike many other diseases, having had a cold provides no
immunity. Moreover, the common cold is relatively
contagious.

5. Sinuses And Sinusitis
 The air filled spaces provide a reduced weight for the skull and
contribute to nasal tone of the voice.
 Paranasal sinuses drain into the nasal cavity. These cavities
are named by the skull bone in which they are found: frontal,
ethmoid, maxillary, and sphenoid.
 In sinusitis, the inflammation of the mucous membranes that
line the cavity causes a sensation of pressure, pain, and often a
headache.

6. Sinusitis Etiology, Symptoms, Treatment
 Viruses, allergens, bacteria
 Environmental conditions
– barometric pressure, airplane flight, swimming or diving
activities, and perhaps stale or contaminated indoor air
– tooth extraction or dental work, abscesses, and allergens.
Sinusitis, an infection of the sinuses, can be caused by
nasal congestion blocking sinus drainage.
 When mucous membranes lining these cavities are inflamed
the results are headache above or below the eye orbit,
occasionally pain in the cheeks and upper teeth and a general
“stuffiness” felt behind or within the nasal cavity.

7. Nasal Polyps
 Nasal polyps are noncancerous growths within the nose or
sinus passageway. The exact cause of these growths is
unknown.
 Certain chemicals found within these polyps suggest that they
may be instrumental in causing the extra tissue formations.
 Large polyps cause nasal drainage, interfere with smell
capability, and, on rare occasions may be linked to obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA).

8. Obstructive Sleep Apnea
 The most common sleep disorder
 The apnea is noted by cessation of breathing during the night
due to a non-foreign obstruction like an inhaled object, but
caused by enlarged parts
 Usually occurs in middle age, and in overweight males.
 Individuals awake tired, without energy, and feel drowsy most
of the day while functioning at low capacity.
 Four or five episodes of sleep apnea per hour is significant.
Twenty episodes per hour is severe; some people experience
100–500 apneas in a single night.

9. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome:
Symptoms
 Obstructive apnea causes heavy, long, and loud snoring and
snorting.
 During this interruption, decreased blood flow to the brain has
occurred.
 With upper airways blocked, lungs do not fill properly, which
creates a pressure in the chest that compresses the heart, and
therefore reduces blood flow.
 The potential for cerebral stroke is increased, especially in
moderate and severe apnea cases

10. Hay fever
 Also called seasonal allergic rhinitis, it is characterized by
sensitivity to airborne allergens, especially from pollens of
ragweed and grasses.
 Respiratory mucosa secrete excessive mucus causing a runny
nose and congestion.
 Mucosal surfaces of the eyes also react to the allergens causing
redness, watery secretions, and itching.
 The release of histamine causes these unpleasant effects

11. Tonsillitis, Pharyngitis, Laryngitis
 These upper respiratory airway structures can become infected
with bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens.
 Infections of these tissues lead to difficulty swallowing, and
redness and pain in the throat.

12. Tonsillitis
 The tonsils are masses of
lymphatic tissue located in
the mucous membranes of
the fauces and the oral
pharynx that protect the
throat from infection.
 Infected tonsils may swell
and become painful, making
swallowing very difficult.

13. Pharyngitis
 An inflammation of the pharynx
characterized by pain in the throat.
Foreign objects, hot liquids, or spicy
foods may contribute to short-term
pharyngitis.
 Just breathing through the mouth, due
to stuffiness, or falling asleep with an
open mouth may cause a brief
discomfort caused by excessive drying
and exposure.
 Strep throat, a pharyngitis caused by
streptococci, is common, resulting in a
red, purulent throat.

14. Laryngitis
 An inflammation of the larynx or
voice box, is characterized by
hoarseness and aphonia.
 A “lost voice” may be caused by
bacteria or viruses or perhaps
fungi, but it can also stem from
allergies, overuse of the voice

15. Influenza
 A viral infection of the upper respiratory system.
 The onset of the disease is sudden. The individual experiences
chills and a fever, cough, sore throat, and runny nose. Chest
pains, muscular aching, and gastrointestinal disorders may also
be symptoms.
 The virus can destroy the respiratory epithelium, a strong line
of defense against bacterial invasion.
 With the loss of the protective epithelium, bacterial infection
can invade any part of the respiratory tract. Pneumococci,
streptococci, and staphylococci are all capable of causing
pneumonia in patients with severe influenza.

16. Lower Respiratory Diseases
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
 Bronchitis
 Asthma
 Emphysema
 Pneumonia
 Pleurisy
 Pulmonary tuberculosis
 Cancer
 Cystic fibrosis

17. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD)
 Chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), includes a number
of conditions in which the exchange of respiratory gasses is
ineffective.
 It includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic
asthma.

18. Bronchitis
 Inflammation of the bronchi,
which may be acute or
chronic.
 The mucous membrane lining
the bronchi becomes swollen
and red, the typical
inflammatory response.
Irritants such as industrial
fumes, automobile exhaust,
viruses, or bacteria can cause
acute bronchitis.

19. Acute Bronchitis
 Most serious in small children, the chronically ill, and the
elderly.
 Tiny bronchioles of children can become easily obstructed.
The elderly or chronically ill are likely to develop a secondary
infection, such as pneumonia.
 Acute bronchitis is characterized by chest pains, dyspnea,
cough, fever, and sometimes chills.
 The sputum coughed up may contain pus.

20. Chronic Bronchitis
 Indicated by repeated attacks of acute bronchitis and coughing
with sputum production, lasting for at least 3 months for 2
consecutive years.
 Symptoms are persistent.
 Chronic bronchitis may be a complication of another
respiratory infection, or can result from long-term exposure to
air pollutants or cigarette smoke.
 It is more common in middle-aged men than in women.

21. Symptoms of Bronchitis
 Symptoms include excessive secretion of mucus from the
mucous glands of the bronchial mucosa (lining). The mucous
glands hypertrophy, and the mucosa itself is thickened and
inflamed.
 The interference in the air passageway caused by the swelling
and mucus reduces the person’s oxygen level.
 Hypoxia, an insufficient oxygenation of the tissues, results.
 Poor drainage of the mucus sets the stage for bacterial
infection. Parts of the respiratory tract can become necrotic,
and fibrous scarring follows.

22. Bronchial Asthma
 Characterized by hypersensitivity to various allergens like
dust, mold, pollen, animal dander, and various foods
 Eighty percent of children with asthma and fifty percent of
adult asthmatics have allergies.
 The allergens trigger constriction of smooth muscle in the
walls of the bronchi, narrowing the lumen of the tubes.

23. Bronchial Asthma
 The mucous membrane becomes swollen with fluid, also
narrowing the lumen. Excessive secretion of mucus adds to the
obstruction. Stale air becomes trapped, which decreases the
amount of fresh air that can enter the lungs.
 The wheezing sound results from air passing through the
narrowed tubes. Psychogenic factors such as anxiety are
frequently associated with an asthma attack.
 A tense situation or an emotional experience can trigger an
attack.

24. Normal bronchiole (A) and one constricted (B) in asthma attack.

25. Emphysema
 A crippling and debilitating (weakening) disease with chronic
lung obstruction and destruction
 The word emphysema means inflation. The lungs become
filled with air that is high in carbon dioxide. This air cannot be
adequately exhaled to allow oxygen to enter.
 The person experiences a suffocating feeling and great distress
from the inability to breathe. Severe pain accompanies the
difficult breathing.
 The cause of emphysema is not known, but it is most
frequently associated with heavy cigarette smoking.

26. Pneumonia
 Acute inflammation of the lungs in which air spaces in the
lungs become filled with an inflammatory exudate.
 Oxygen exchange is impaired, causing difficulty breathing.
 Fever, chest pain, and a productive cough accompany this
disease.
 Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, and
it may affect different areas of the lungs.

27. (A) Bronchopneumonia with localized pattern. (B) lobar
pneumonia with a diffuse pattern within the lobe. ( C ) interstitial
pneumonia typically diffuse and bilateral.

28. Lobar Pneumonia
 Lobar pneumonia is inflammation of a section, often an entire
lobe, of the lung. It is most often caused by the pneumococcus
bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae.
 This bacterium is carried in the respiratory passages of many
people, but it can infect the lungs under optimal conditions.

29. Bronchopneumonia
 Obstruction of the small bronchi
 Due to infection or by aspirated gastric contents
 Diffuse pattern of inflammation on x-ray
 Causes of bronchopneumonia are:
– Chronic bronchitis
– whooping cough
– Old age
– Cancer

30. Pleurisy
 An inflammation of the pleural
membranes that occurs as a
complication of various lung diseases,
like pneumonia or tuberculosis
 May also develop from an injury or
tumor formation
 Pleurisy is extremely painful; a sharp,
stabbing pain accompanies each
inspiration.
 The pain may stem from excessive or
insufficient pleural fluid, or pus/blood
in the lungs

31. Pulmonary Tuberculosis
 A chronic infectious disease characterized by necrosis of vital
lung tissue
 Common in the respiratory system, but can affect other body
systems as well
 Caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
 The first infective exposure with the bacteria is called a
primary infection.

32. Pulmonary Tuberculosis
 The inhaled bacteria infect the lungs and induce a chronic
inflammatory response that leads to necrosis
 The tissue in this site becomes soft and cheese-like
 The tissue heals with fibrosis and calcification, walling off the
bacteria for months or many years. These lesions are called
tubercles
 During this period, a person may have no symptoms. A
secondary infection occurs when the person is infected again
or when the bacteria escape the walled-off lesions in the lungs.

33. Bronchogenic Carcinoma
 The most common type of lung cancer
 Danger of airway obstruction; death results from
complications of obstruction or from the effects of metastatic
tumors.
 inhalation of carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) which may
be an occupational hazard among workers who are constantly
exposed to air pollution, exhaust gases, and industrial fumes.
 The great danger in bronchogenic carcinoma is blockage of the
airway by the malignant tumor as it grows into the lumen of
the bronchus. The affected part of the lung collapses for lack
of air.

34.  The symptoms or signs of early stage lung cancer may be
undetected, but later there is a persistent cough and
hemoptysis.
 The blood in the sputum results from the erosion of blood
vessels by the growing malignancy.
 Anorexia, weight loss, and weakness accompany the disease.
The poor oxygenation of the blood explains the generalized
weakness. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing caused by
the obstructed airway.
 Symptoms develop late in the disease so prevention and early
detection are essential.

35. Cystic Fibrosis
 A disease that affects all the exocrine glands of the body, the
glands of external secretion
 Exocrine glands secrete mucus, perspiration, and digestive
enzymes.
 The abnormality in cystic fibrosis is excessively viscous
mucus secretion. Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease
affecting young children. It is transmitted through a recessive
gene carried by each parent.
 The trachea and bronchi secrete thick mucus and, as it
accumulates, the air passageway is blocked.