{"id":5367,"date":"2016-10-15T11:37:12","date_gmt":"2016-10-15T11:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ap1x2-91\/?post_type=chapter&p=5367"},"modified":"2017-05-11T14:46:29","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T14:46:29","slug":"age-related-dysfunctions-to-the-respiratory-system","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/atd-herkimer-biologyofaging\/chapter\/age-related-dysfunctions-to-the-respiratory-system\/","title":{"raw":"Age Related Dysfunctions to the Respiratory System","rendered":"Age Related Dysfunctions to the Respiratory System"},"content":{"raw":"

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease<\/h2>\r\nChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of diseases characterized by chronic air flow obstruction in the lungs.\u00a0 People who suffer from COPD experience difficulty breathing, wheezing, and coughing.\u00a0 Thy symptoms increase rapidly in those over 50 years of age and most frequent in men.\u00a0 \u00a0The most common contributing factor is cigarette smoke, but there is a possible genetic predisposition.\r\n\r\nEmphysema<\/strong> is one of the diseases which causes COPD.\u00a0 Emphysema is characterized by the accumulation of excessive air in the lungs as they lose their ability to ventilate properly.\u00a0 Chronic irritation of the bronchial tree damages the cilia of the airway while other cells become inflamed and over produce mucus.\u00a0 This hinders airflow and traps air in the alveoli, which eventually become damaged.\u00a0 Emphysema places an extra load on the heart as it attempts to pump more blood to the lungs in an effort to compensate for the deficiency of oxygen in the blood leaving the lungs.\u00a0 It develops gradually and is therefore much more prevalent in older persons.\r\n\r\nChronic bronchitis<\/strong> is another of the diseases which causes COPD.\u00a0 Chronic bronchitis is characterized by the chronic inflammation of the bronchial tree caused by long-term exposure to environmental irritants or a bacterial infection.\u00a0 Like in emphysema the chronic inflammation causes the over production of mucus.\u00a0 As the mucus secretions accumulate within the bronchi, they are removed by coughing, which can become persistent and irritating.\r\n

Pneumonia<\/h2>\r\nPneumonia is an inflammation of the lower airways of the lung in which the alveoli become filled.\u00a0 This causes the affected portion of the lung to become less spongy and restricts air from reaching the alveoli.\u00a0 The inflammation\u00a0may be\u00a0caused by several different viruses or bacteria.\u00a0 While these infections can affect people of all ages, they are more frequent in those over 65 whose are less able to fight off the infections.\r\n

Tuberculosis<\/h2>\r\nThanks to the development of antibiotics the incidences of tuberculosis has declined greatly.\u00a0 Prior to the development of antibiotics tuberculosis was very common bacterial disease.\u00a0 As many of today's elderly people were alive during\u00a0the time period when tuberculosis was prevalent they may have been exposed to this bacteria.\u00a0 Due to the behavior of this bacteria it is possible that an elderly person inhaled this bacteria years prior and the bacteria was controlled by the immune system.\u00a0 The bacteria is able to survive for years within tubercles of the lungs.\u00a0 Due to the weakened immune systems\u00a0of the elderly the bacteria is able to reinfect the lungs.\u00a0 While tuberculosis can now be treated with a six to nine month treatment of drug therapy the lungs may be permanently damaged.\r\n

Pulmonary Embolism<\/h2>\r\nA pulmonary embolism refers to a clot that blocks a branch of a pulmonary artery.\u00a0 The tendency is for emboli to become lodged in the small branches of the pulmonary artery and restrict blood flow to some region of the lung.\u00a0 Pulmonary embolisms most commonly occur in patients who are bedridden.\u00a0 This is because the rate of blood flow deceases which generally increases the developments of blood clots.","rendered":"

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease<\/h2>\n

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of diseases characterized by chronic air flow obstruction in the lungs.\u00a0 People who suffer from COPD experience difficulty breathing, wheezing, and coughing.\u00a0 Thy symptoms increase rapidly in those over 50 years of age and most frequent in men.\u00a0 \u00a0The most common contributing factor is cigarette smoke, but there is a possible genetic predisposition.<\/p>\n

Emphysema<\/strong> is one of the diseases which causes COPD.\u00a0 Emphysema is characterized by the accumulation of excessive air in the lungs as they lose their ability to ventilate properly.\u00a0 Chronic irritation of the bronchial tree damages the cilia of the airway while other cells become inflamed and over produce mucus.\u00a0 This hinders airflow and traps air in the alveoli, which eventually become damaged.\u00a0 Emphysema places an extra load on the heart as it attempts to pump more blood to the lungs in an effort to compensate for the deficiency of oxygen in the blood leaving the lungs.\u00a0 It develops gradually and is therefore much more prevalent in older persons.<\/p>\n

Chronic bronchitis<\/strong> is another of the diseases which causes COPD.\u00a0 Chronic bronchitis is characterized by the chronic inflammation of the bronchial tree caused by long-term exposure to environmental irritants or a bacterial infection.\u00a0 Like in emphysema the chronic inflammation causes the over production of mucus.\u00a0 As the mucus secretions accumulate within the bronchi, they are removed by coughing, which can become persistent and irritating.<\/p>\n

Pneumonia<\/h2>\n

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lower airways of the lung in which the alveoli become filled.\u00a0 This causes the affected portion of the lung to become less spongy and restricts air from reaching the alveoli.\u00a0 The inflammation\u00a0may be\u00a0caused by several different viruses or bacteria.\u00a0 While these infections can affect people of all ages, they are more frequent in those over 65 whose are less able to fight off the infections.<\/p>\n

Tuberculosis<\/h2>\n

Thanks to the development of antibiotics the incidences of tuberculosis has declined greatly.\u00a0 Prior to the development of antibiotics tuberculosis was very common bacterial disease.\u00a0 As many of today’s elderly people were alive during\u00a0the time period when tuberculosis was prevalent they may have been exposed to this bacteria.\u00a0 Due to the behavior of this bacteria it is possible that an elderly person inhaled this bacteria years prior and the bacteria was controlled by the immune system.\u00a0 The bacteria is able to survive for years within tubercles of the lungs.\u00a0 Due to the weakened immune systems\u00a0of the elderly the bacteria is able to reinfect the lungs.\u00a0 While tuberculosis can now be treated with a six to nine month treatment of drug therapy the lungs may be permanently damaged.<\/p>\n

Pulmonary Embolism<\/h2>\n

A pulmonary embolism refers to a clot that blocks a branch of a pulmonary artery.\u00a0 The tendency is for emboli to become lodged in the small branches of the pulmonary artery and restrict blood flow to some region of the lung.\u00a0 Pulmonary embolisms most commonly occur in patients who are bedridden.\u00a0 This is because the rate of blood flow deceases which generally increases the developments of blood clots.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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