The Ageing Lungs Flashcards
1
Q
STRUCTURAL CHANGES:
How do the Airways and Alveoli change?
What can these airway changes result in?
What changes occur in the Chest wall?
What do these chest wall changes cause?
What does the Kyphosis lead to?
How do the Respiratory muscles change?
What do these Respiratory muscle changes lead to?
How does the Diaphragm change?
A
- ↓Elastic recoil, Alveolar sacs become shallower and LARGER (smaller surface area), ↑Bronchiole and alveolar duct diameter
- Premature closure of airways during normal breathing → Air trapping and hyperinflation (Senile Emphysema)
- ↓Chest wall compliance, Stiffening of thoracic cage from calcification, Kyphosis, Arthritis of Costovertebral joint
- More muscular work required for ventilation = ↑Work of breathing
- Vertebral fractures and ↓Interverbal disc spaces
- ↓Strength - Muscle atrophy, ↓Fast twitch fibres
- Diaphragmatic fatigue, Ventilatory failure with ↑Ventilatory load
- Reduction in height and force
2
Q
SPIROMETRY CHANGES:
What changes occur?
How does the FVC and FEV1 change with age?
What is the impaired Respiratory muscle function due to?
A
- ↑Residual Vol, ↓Vital Cap
o No change in Total LC - Increases till 20s and then DECREASES
- ↑FRC (Functional Residual Cap)
3
Q
OTHER CHANGES:
What are the Vascular Remodelling changes that occur?
What are the elderly more at risk of? Why?
A
- • ↑Pulmonary Vascular Stiffness, Resistance and Pressure
• ↓Pulmonary Capillary blood volume - Chest infection - due to ↓Mucociliary transport, Suppressed cough reflex, Swallowing problems, ↓T cell and Macrophage number and function
