Chronic Bronchitis Have you ever tried to breathe through a straw? Imagine living your entire life breathing through a straw. Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD live that on a daily basis. COPD is a progressive disease that gets worse over time, effecting the lungs of the patients suffering from it making very difficult to breathe. Smoking is the leading cause in patients who have COPD however, an exposure over a long period of time to lung irritants has been known to cause this disease. COPD can be broken down into two specific conditions, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis effects the lining of the bronchial tubes by inflammation and has symptoms of mucus production and a chronic daily cough.
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Oxidative stress and a high level could also intensify this inflammation. The inflammation normal response due to cigarette smoke, but is significantly increased due to COPD. The narrowing directly effects the oxygen and carbon-dioxide exchange because oxygen rich air cannot enter lungs as normal and carbon dioxide cannot escape as normal. In chronic bronchitis, mucociliary dysfunction, mucous gland enlargement and goblet cell hyperplasia meaning the increase in reproduction of cells happens in larger airways. Resulting in the production and accumulation of mucus leading to a narrow airway and a chronic cough that is most often associated with chronic bronchitis. Another site for airway restriction may occur …show more content…
Due to damage from smoking and other harmful irritants inhaled the alveoli sacs loose there elasticity and can no longer return to their normal position. Air can be inhaled in, but it is much harder for it to be exhaled. Because air is not being inhaled and exhaled properly there is not an effective exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This effects the circulatory system because the body must compensate for the lower level of oxygen and higher levels of carbon dioxide. The blood vessels in the lungs constrict to force more blood and oxygen through the body, the heart pumps faster in order to move more blood, rate of breathing increases to add more oxygen and the body creates more red blood cells in order to carry more
Oxidative stress and a high level could also intensify this inflammation. The inflammation normal response due to cigarette smoke, but is significantly increased due to COPD. The narrowing directly effects the oxygen and carbon-dioxide exchange because oxygen rich air cannot enter lungs as normal and carbon dioxide cannot escape as normal. In chronic bronchitis, mucociliary dysfunction, mucous gland enlargement and goblet cell hyperplasia meaning the increase in reproduction of cells happens in larger airways. Resulting in the production and accumulation of mucus leading to a narrow airway and a chronic cough that is most often associated with chronic bronchitis. Another site for airway restriction may occur …show more content…
Due to damage from smoking and other harmful irritants inhaled the alveoli sacs loose there elasticity and can no longer return to their normal position. Air can be inhaled in, but it is much harder for it to be exhaled. Because air is not being inhaled and exhaled properly there is not an effective exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This effects the circulatory system because the body must compensate for the lower level of oxygen and higher levels of carbon dioxide. The blood vessels in the lungs constrict to force more blood and oxygen through the body, the heart pumps faster in order to move more blood, rate of breathing increases to add more oxygen and the body creates more red blood cells in order to carry more