DISEASES AND DISORDERS

• Bronchitis - inflammation of the bronchi
• Emphysema - destruction of alveolar walls
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - emphysema in combination with bronchitis
• Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) - caused by damage to the respiratory membrane, which promotes inflammation
• Cystic fibrosis - genetic disorder that affects mucus secretions due to an abnormal transport protein
• Pulmonary fibrosis - replacement of lung tissue with fibrous connective tissue, making the lungs less elastic
• Lung cancer - occurs in the epithelium of the respiratory tract, can easily spread to other parts of the body
• Thrombosis of the pulmonary arteries - blood clot in lung blood vessels, causing inadequate blood flow
• Anemia - reduced hemoglobin lowers O2 carrying capacity of blood
• CO poisoning - CO binds more strongly to hemoglobin than O2 and prevents already-bound O2 from entering tissues
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - most frequent cause of death of infants between 2 weeks and 1 year of age
• Paralysis of the respiratory muscles - damage to the spinal cord in the cervical or thoracic region
• Disease of the Thoracic Wall - decreased elasticity of the thoracic wall preventing it to expand to full capacity and reduces air movement
• Strep throat - caused by streptococcal bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes); characterized by inflamation of the pharynx and fever
• Diphtheria - caused by Corynbacterium diphteriae; a grayish membrane forms in the throat and can completely block respiratory passages
• Common cold - results from a viral infection
• Whooping cough (pertussis) - caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which destroys cilia lining the respiratory epithelium, allowing mucus to accumulate
• Tuberculosis - caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Pneumonia - can be caused by a number of bacterial or viral infections of the lungs
• Flu (influenza) - viral infection of the respiratory system
• Fungal diseases - fungal spores enter the respiratory tract attached to dust particles

  Examples: histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis