Module 7: The Respiratory System

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Identify and describe terminologies relative to respiratory system through a puzzle;

2. Identify the respiratory system organs through a diagram;
3. Enumerate respiratory-related diseases; and
4. Write a reflection paper after the actual execution of identified physical activities.

Introduction: This module presents the structure of the respiratory system and its functions. In
this lesson, you will also learn the common diseases that attack the respiratory.

Keywords: Respiratory, Upper tract, Lower tract, Diaphragm, Circulatory

Activity
Try to do this!

Before we proceed to our next lesson, let’s have a deep inhale-exhale exercise for 10
seconds. While doing so, I want you to put your right hand on your chest.

Analysis
Let’s analyze the activity!
How did you find the activity?
What have you observed while doing the activity? Please share your thoughts.
What body system is involved when we inhale and exhale?
Abstraction

Let’s Study!

Lesson 1: Respiratory System

Your respiratory system is the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe. This
system helps your body absorb oxygen from the air so your organs can work. It also cleans
waste gases, such as carbon dioxide, from your blood. Common problems include allergies,
diseases or infections.
Parts of the Respiratory System
Your respiratory system includes-

1. Nose and nasal cavity

2. Sinuses
3. Mouth
4. Throat (pharynx)
5. Voice box (larynx)
6. Windpipe (trachea)
7. Lungs
8. Bronchial tubes/bronchi
9. Bronchioles
10. Air sacs (alveoli)
11. Capillaries
12. Diaphragm

Figure 11: Respiratory System

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/health-complications-addiction/respiratory-system

Functions of the Respiratory System

The respiratory system has many functions. Aside from helping you inhale and exhale it:
• Allows you to talk and to smell.
• Brings air to body temperature and moisturizes it to the humidity level your body needs.
• Delivers oxygen to the cells in your body.
• Removes waste gases, including carbon dioxide, from the body when you exhale.
• Protects your airways from harmful substances and irritants.

Lesson 2: The Upper and Lower Tracts Organs

The respiratory system organs are separated into the upper and lower respiratory tracts. The
upper respiratory tract includes the mouth, nose, nasal cavity, pharynx (windpipe and food pipe)
and larynx or voice box. Each has a specific function to aid the flow of air into the body.

Parts of the Upper Respiratory Tract Organs

1. Mouth, nose & nasal cavity: The function of this part of the system is to warm, filter
and moisten the incoming air
2. Pharynx: Here the throat divides into the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (food
pipe). There is also a small flap of cartilage called the epiglottis which prevents food
from entering the trachea

Pharyn (Throat) has three parts:

  Nasopharynx - Located behind the nasal cavity, the nasopharynx is the upper part
of the pharynx. It primarily handles air from the nasal passages and contains the
adenoids (lymphatic tissue that helps filter pathogens).
 Oropharynx - The middle section located behind the mouth. It serves as a pathway
for both air (from the nose and mouth) and food, and includes the tonsils, which play
a role in immune defense.
 Laryngopharynx - The lower part of the pharynx located just above the larynx and
esophagus. It serves as a passageway that directs food into the esophagus and air
into the larynx, leading to the respiratory system.
3. Larynx: This is also known as the voice box as it is where sound is generated. It also
helps protect the trachea by producing a strong cough reflex if any solid objects pass the
epiglottis.

Take a closer look on the diagram presented below. It shows the upper respiratory
tracts. Here, you will be guided in determining each part.

Figure 12: The Upper Respiratory Tracts

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Parts of the Lower Respiratory Tract Organs

1. Trachea: Also known as the windpipe this is the tube that carries air from the throat
into the lungs. It ranges from 20-25mm in diameter and 10-16cm in length. The inner
membrane of the trachea is covered in tiny hairs called cilia, which catch particles of
dust which we can then remove through coughing. The trachea is surrounded by 15-20
C-shaped rings of cartilage at the front and side which help protect the trachea and keep
it open. They are not complete circles due to the position of the esophagus immediately
behind the trachea and the need for the trachea to partially collapse to allow the
expansion of the esophagus when swallowing large pieces of food.
  Carina of Trachea - This is the point where the trachea splits into the left and
right main bronchi. It’s a sensitive area that triggers a cough reflex if anything
other than air touches it.
2. Bronchi: The trachea divides into two tubes called bronchi, one entering the left and
one entering the right lung. The left bronchi are narrower, longer and more horizontal
than the right. Irregular rings of cartilage surround the bronchi; whose walls also
consist of smooth muscle. Once inside the lung, the bronchi split several ways, forming
tertiary bronchi.
3. Bronchioles: Tertiary bronchi continue to divide and become bronchioles, very narrow
tubes, less than 1 millimeter in diameter. There is no cartilage within the bronchioles
and they lead to alveolar sacs.
4. Alveoli: Individual hollow cavities contained within alveolar sacs (or ducts). Alveoli
have very thin walls which permit the exchange of gases Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide.
They are surrounded by a network of capillaries, into which the inspired gases pass.
There are approximately 3 million alveoli within an average adult lung.
5. Diaphragm: The diaphragm is a broadband of muscle which sits underneath the lungs,
attaching to the lower ribs, sternum and lumbar spine and forming the base of the
thoracic cavity.

Take a closer look on the diagram presented below. It shows the upper and
lower respiratory tracts. Here, you will be guided in determining each part.

Figure 13: The Respiratory Tracts

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How Do We Breathe?
Breathing starts when you inhale air into your nose or mouth. It travels down the back of
your throat and into your windpipe, which is divided into air passages called bronchial tubes.
For your lungs to perform their best, these airways need to be opened. They should be free
from inflammation or swelling and extra mucus.

Figure 13.1: The Lungs

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According to Zimmerman (2019) in her article that, “our respiratory system is the
avenue for gas exchange. Further, she said that, “the human respiratory system is a series of
organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. The primary organs of the
respiratory system are the lungs, which carry out this exchange of gases as we breathe”.

How do lungs work with the circulatory system?

The American Lung Association (2020) said that the lungs work with the circulatory
system to pump oxygen-rich blood to all cells in the body. The blood then collects carbon
dioxide and other waste products and transports them back to the lungs, where they're pumped
out of the body by exhaling.
The human body needs oxygen to sustain itself. After only about five minutes without
oxygen, brain cells begin dying, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke, which can lead to brain damage and ultimately death.

Inhalation and Exhalation

Inhalation and exhalation are how your body brings in oxygen and gets rid of carbon
dioxide. The process gets help from a large dome-shaped muscle under your lungs called the
diaphragm. When you breathe in, your diaphragm pulls downward, creating a vacuum that
causes a rush of air into your lungs. The opposite happens with exhalation: Your diaphragm
relaxes upward, pushing on your lungs, allowing them to deflate. (See Figure 13)

How Doesthe RespiratorySystem Clean the Air?

 Your respiratory system has built-in methods to keep harmful things in the air from
entering your lungs. Hairs in your nose help filter out large particles. Tiny hairs, called cilia,
along your air passages move in a sweeping motion to keep the passages clean. But if you
breathe in harmful things like cigarette smoke, the cilia can stop working. This can lead to health
problems like bronchitis.

Lesson 3: Common Diseases of the Respiratory System

Many conditions can affect the organs and tissues that make up the respiratory system.
Some develop due to irritants you breathe in from the air, including viruses or bacteria that
cause infection. Others occur as a result of disease or getting older.

Figure
13.2: Common diseases of the respiratory system
https://www.visiblebody.com/learn/respiratory/diseases-and-disorders

Conditions that can cause inflammation (swelling, irritation, and pain) or otherwise affect the
respiratory system include:

1. Allergies: Inhaling proteins, such as dust, mold, and pollen, can cause respiratory allergies
in some people. These proteins can cause inflammation in your airways.
2. Infection: Infections can lead to pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) or bronchitis
(inflammation of the bronchial tubes). Common respiratory infections include the flu
(influenza) or a cold.
3. Pneumonia. An infection causes inflammation in your alveoli. They might fill up with fluid
or pus.
4. Tuberculosis. A bacterium causes this dangerous infection. It usually affects your lungs but
might also involve your kidney, spine, or brain.
5. Lung cancer. Cells in your lung change and grow into a tumor. This often happens because
of smoking or other chemicals you’ve breathed in.
6. Aging: Lung capacity decreases as you get older.
 7. Damage: Damage to the respiratory system due to long-term smoking can cause breathing
problems.

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

1. Asthma: A chronic (long-term) disorder, asthma causes inflammation in the airways
that can make breathing difficult. Your airways become narrow and make too much
mucus. It is also known as bronchoconstriction and results in difficulty in breathing. The
exact cause is still unknown but the triggers include stress, change in air temperature
or exercise. The inflammatory response causes the swelling of the lining of the airways
which can obstruct the airflow that causes difficulty in breathing. Asthma can be treated
with bronchodilators and anti- inflammatory medications. People with asthma must
learn what their specific triggers are and once they know it, they should try to avoid it to
minimize unnecessary attack.
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic, progressive, lung
disease caused primarily by smoking or long-term breathing of pollutants or chemical
irritants. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD.

What Are the Different Types of COPD?

The two most common conditions of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Some physicians agree that asthma should be classified as a chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, while others do not. A brief description of asthma, is included below:
What is chronic What is pulmonary
bronchitis? emphysema? What is asthma?
Chronic bronchitis is a Emphysema is Asthma is a chronic,
long-term inflammation a chronic lung inflammatory lung disease
of the bronchi condition in involving recurrent
(breathing passages which alveoli (air sacs in the breathing problems. The
in the lungs), which results lungs) may be: characteristics of asthma
in increased include the following:
• Destroyed
production of mucus, as well
• The lining
as other changes. • Narrowed
of the
• Collapsed airways
These changes may result in
breathing problems, frequent • Stretched become swollen
infections, cough, and and inflamed.
disability. • Over-inflated
• The muscles that
This can cause a decrease in surround the
respiratory function and airways tighten.
breathlessness. Damage to
the air sacs is irreversible The production of mucus is
increased, leading to mucus
and results in permanent plugs.
"holes" in the lung tissue.