Respiratory System II Flashcards
What are some causes of airway narrowing?
- smooth muscle constriction
- plugging of the airway
- edema of the airway wall
- loss of the retractive forces of the lung parenchyma
- loss of tethering
How does airway narrowing affect the body?
airway narrows –> increased Raw (airway resistance) –> more difficult for respiratory muscles to move air in and out of the lungs (need to generate more pressure)
How is Raw and radius related?
R is proportional to 1/r^4
What is the easiest way to measure airway narrowing?
comparing te FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec) to the forced vital capacity (the total amount of air a person can breath out). If the ratio FEV1/FVC is
What factors affect lung volume?
- age
- sex
- height
- weight
- ethnic origin
What is FRC?
functional residual capacity - the volume in your lungs at the end of a breath when you are completely relaxed (tendency of chest wall to recoil outwards exactly matches inward recoil)
What is TLC?
total lung capacity - the total amount of air in your lungs at the end of a maximal inspiratory effort (overall size of the lung)
What is RV?
residual volume - the volume of air in your lungs at the end of a maximal expiratory effort
What is VC?
vital capacity - the difference between TLC and RV; primarily determined by overall thoracic size
What is the formula for VC?
VC = (5.2 * height) - (X*age) - (Y)
X = 0.022 (male) or 0.018 (female) Y = 3.6 (male) or 4.36 (female)
Definition: airway narrowing that reverses either spontaneously or after drug treatment; increased airway responsiveness; airway inflammation
asthma
How is asthma diagnosed?
A bronchodilator is administered to increase FEV1. A greater than 15% increase is indicative of asthma.
What causes bronchoconstriction during asthma?
mainly caused by smooth muscle constriction but also by mucous plugging and airway edema
What is airway hyperresponsiveness?
increased airway narrowing in response to contractile agonists that cause constriction of airway smooth muscle; sometimes used to diagnose asthma
What does the severity of asthma correlate with?
PD20, or the provocative dose of asthmatic agent that is required to cause a 20% decrease in FEV1.
What is allergic airway inflammation characterized by?
T-lymphocytes (CD4 and CD8) and eosinophils
How do eosinophils contribute to asthma?
- contain granule proteins that can damage epithelium and make it more leaky to allergens
- promote contraction of smooth muscle
- recruit more eosinophils
How do lymphocytes contribute to asthma?
- produce cytokines which promote eosinophils proliferation
- promote IgE formation
What are common symptoms of asthma?
- cough
- SOB
- chest tightness
- wheezing
What are some characteristics of asthma (histology)?
- airway smooth muscle thickening
- mucous plugs in airway lumens
- presence of inflammatory cells
- disrupted epithelium (sub epithelial fibrosis)
- basement membrane thickening
- airway wall edema
- increased numbers of blood vessels in airway wall
How does asthma affect pulmonary function?
- TLC is normal
- FRC and RV are increased
- pulmonary resistance is increased
- lung stiffness is low or normal
- airway obstruction is caused by smooth muscle constriction and plugging
How does asthma affect blood gases?
- PaO2 is low (V/Q mismatch)
- PaCO2 can sometimes be low (hyperventilation due to anxiety, if its increased, its usually a sign of ventilatory failure)
What are he epidemiology stats of asthma?
- affects 5-10% of Americans
- more prevalent in urban than rural settings
- incidence/severity has doubled in last 20 yrs
- more severe among AA than europeans
- mortality rates have been increasing but still rare
- leading cause of pediatric hospitalizations
- leading serious chronic illness in children
How are allergies and asthma associated?
In people with allergies, IgE antibodies (made by B lymphocytes) recognize allergens. IgE binds to mast cells and then allergens. The mast cell degranulates and releases histamine and leukotrienes into extracellular fluid (bronchoconstrictors) as well as cytokines. Asthmatics and people with allergies have high levels of IgE in their blood.
What are the most common allergens in the US?
- house dust mite
- cockroach
- cat
- fungi
What happens what an asthmatic inhales an allergen?
Early Response: within minutes, a rapid drop in FEV1 occurs, which resolves in 1 hour; caused by products released from mast cells to narrow airways
Late Response: 4-6 hours later there is another drop in FEV1 which takes longer to resolve. It results from an influx of inflammatory cells into the airway due the mast cell response. These cells also release products that cause smooth muscle contraction and edema of the airway wall.
What are some triggers for asthma
- allergens
- exercise
- hyperventilation of cold air
- emotions
- pollution
- cigarette smoke
What are some things that can cause asthma?
- pathophysiology not well understood still; origins appear to arise in early childhood
- genetic: genes that regular IgE and cytokines
- environmental: exposure to allergens/pollution/cigaretter smoke/viruses/obesity
- viral illnesses during childhood can contribute
- exposure to allergens to which the individual is allergic too
- obesity