Why is lung disease important

Question 1

what is meant by disease burden, and relative rankings, depends upon the parameter studied and the population studied.

Answer 1

Morbidity: Years lived with disability (YLDs)

Is it uniform across the world or across a country

Question 2

Some of top 25 causes of global YLD’s

Answer 2

Menthal health issues
Musculo skeletal disorders 
hearing loss 
Migraine 
Diabetes

Question 3

Lung disease:

• cost?
• how many people does it affect?

Answer 3

£9.9 billion
Respiratory disease affects one in five people in England and is the third biggest cause of death. Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK

Question 4

Airway diseases vs small lung disorders

Answer 4

Airway diseases = due to localised obstruction (eg upper airway tumours) and generalised obstruction (asthma)

Small lung disorders (also known as restrictive disorders). Due to disease within the lungs (eg idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) and due to disease outside the lung (pleural effusions, pneumothorax)

Question 5

what is breathlessness?

Answer 5

Breathlessness or dyspnoea is a sensation of difficult, laboured or uncomfortable breathing.

Question 6

What is the function of the lungs?

Answer 6

The function of the lung is to get oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out

Question 7

Why do large animals need lungs?

Answer 7

Small creatures can meet their oxygen needs by diffusion. Large animals cannot meet their oxygen needs by diffusion alone

Question 8

Gas exchange

Answer 8

The action of breathing delivers warmed, humidified air to specialised gas exchange surfaces
The heart delivers deoxygenated blood to the pulmonary capillaries
Gas exchange between air and blood occurs by diffusion

Question 9

What is damaged respiratory mucosa?

Answer 9

Damage to the cilia can occur due to the activity of enzymes such as neutrophil elastase. Neutrophil elastase is released from neutrophils which are attracted into the airways by cigarette smoke, bacterial products etc.
Cell walls of the epithelial cells are broken down, damaging and destroying the cilia so patients may have a reduced number of cilia as well as cilia that are not working effectively.
Damaged cilia are less effective at removing mucus from the airways.

Question 10

Importance of spirometry

Answer 10

Doctors use spirometry to test how well your lungs work. Spirometry tests measure how much air you inhale, how much air you exhale and how quickly you exhale.