There are many disorders and diseases of the respiratory system. Some are occupational diseases that occur due to prolonged exposure to fumes, lung infections and more everyday symptoms such as coughing or wheezing. Some of the more common diseases include:
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Lung cancer
An Overview Of Asthma
Asthma is becoming more prevalent in industrialized countries and is generally more common in children than adults. Children often outgrow asthma by the time they reach adulthood, but this is not always the case.
An asthma attack involves muscle contractions of the airways, which reduce airflow and cause shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. Irritants such as dust, pollens, animal hair or cigarette smoke, as well as exercise can trigger asthma.
While asthma can’t be cured, mild symptoms can be controlled by use of prescribed inhaled medication. Serious or severe asthma attacks require professional medical attention, but with ongoing treatment, most asthmatics manage the disease and live normal, long lives.
An Overview Of Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder caused by a defective gene. The disease causes mucous secretions to become thick, which interferes with the normal function of the airways. Pancreas and liver secretions can also be affected, causing ducts leading to the digestive tract to become blocked, thus not able to absorb sufficient nutrients.
Cystic fibrosis is usually evident in infancy or childhood and there is no cure. Symptoms can be treated with breathing and dietary treatments, but life expectancy is short for sufferers. Due to variables, such as the severity of the disease and the person’s overall health, it is not possible to determine a person’s life expectancy accurately, however, in the United States, more then 45 % of suffers live until over 18 years, and in 2008 the median predicted age of survival was raised from 32 years to 37.4 years (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, June 2008). With advancements in treatments, this expected life span could rise further.
Although not as common as other respiratory diseases, it affects approximately 30,000 people in the United States. There are approximately 10 million people who carry the defective gene (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, June 2009).
Over 100 years ago when midwives delivered babies, they would perform a peculiar test on the infants. They would lick babies' foreheads to see if they tasted salty. If they did, it meant that they were destined to die from a disease that makes breathing difficult and causes flesh to wither.
The disease they were checking for was cystic fibrosis and today’s tests still check ‘sweat’. Cystic fibrosis causes defects in a gated channel protein that is located in airways, sweat glands and the pancreas. Because of this, in people with cystic fibrosis, salt concentrations in sweat are up to four times greater then normal amounts.
An Overview Of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer for men and women (Medline plus, June 2009) . It can be particularly aggressive and is a common cause of death. Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer and risk increases by the amount of cigarettes a person has per day and the length of time the person has been smoking (i.e., how many years). Non-smokers are also at risk and pollution, radiation and exposure to asbestos increases this risk.
Lung cancers usually develop in the epithelium of airways, and the first signs of it are usually secondary growths in bones, liver or the brain. Treatment for lung cancer may be surgery to remove the cancer, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Treatment is available for sufferers who have been diagnosed early, and are at stage 1 or stage 2. If diagnosed when the cancer is at stage 3 or stage 4, treatments will be used for pain relief and quality of life rather than cure.
Resource and further reading:
For more information on asthma visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute website. For more information on cystic fibrosis see the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website. For more information on lung cancer visit the Medline plus website or see Advanced Lung Cancer Guide.
Silverthorn, D, 2007, ‘Membrane Dynamics’ in Human Physiology, An Integrated Approach 4th edition, Benjamin Cummins, San Francisco chapter 5.
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