Respiratory disease

Respiratory Disease

Micrograph of an emphysematous lung; emphysema is a common respiratory disease, strongly associated with smoking. H&E stain.
Classification and external resources
Specialty Pulmonology
ICD-10 J00-J99
ICD-9-CM 460-519
MeSH D012140

Respiratory disease is a medical term that encompasses pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange possible in higher organisms, and includes conditions of the upper respiratory tract, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, pleura and pleural cavity, and the nerves and muscles of breathing. Respiratory diseases range from mild and self-limiting, such as the common cold, to life-threatening entities like bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, and lung cancer.

The study of respiratory disease is known as pulmonology. A doctor who specializes in respiratory disease is known as a pulmonologist, a chest medicine specialist, a respiratory medicine specialist, a respirologist or a thoracic medicine specialist.

UBET Respiratory diseases can be classified in many different ways, including by the organ or tissue involved, by the type and pattern of associated signs and symptoms, or by the cause (aetiology) of the disease.

Inflammatory lung disease

Characterized by a high neutrophil count, e.g. asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or acute respiratory distress syndrome.[1] Asthma is one of the deadly lung diseases. Asthma is a disease that infects the airways leading to the loss of the control over the smooth muscles that line the bronchi and bronchioles. When exposed to an irritant such as dust or smoke, the smooth muscles that line airways of the asthmatic patient start to contract faster and stronger leading to difficulty breathing.[11]

Restrictive lung diseases

Age-standardised disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates from respiratory diseases by country (per 100,000 inhabitants).

Restrictive lung diseases are a category of respiratory disease characterized by a loss of lung compliance,[2] causing incomplete lung expansion and increased lung stiffness, such as in infants with respiratory distress syndrome.

Respiratory tract infections

Infections can affect any part of the respiratory system. They are traditionally divided into upper respiratory tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections.

Upper respiratory tract infection

The most common upper respiratory tract infection is the common cold. However, infections of specific organs of the upper respiratory tract such as sinusitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, pharyngitis and laryngitis are also considered upper respiratory tract infections.

Lower respiratory tract infection

The most common lower respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, an infection of the lungs which is usually caused by bacteria, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae in Western countries. Worldwide, tuberculosis is an important cause of pneumonia. Other pathogens such as viruses and fungi can cause pneumonia for example severe acute respiratory syndrome and pneumocystis pneumonia. A pneumonia may develop complications such as a lung abscess, a round cavity in the lung caused by the infection, or may spread to the pleural cavity.

Poor oral care may be a contributing factor to lower respiratory disease. New research suggests bacteria from gum disease travel through airways and into the lungs.[3][4]

Malignant tumors

Malignant tumors of the respiratory system, particularly primary carcinomas of the lung, are a major health problem responsible for 15% of all cancer diagnoses and 30% of all cancer deaths. The majority of respiratory system cancers are attributable to smoking tobacco.

The major histological types of respiratory system cancer are:

In addition, since many cancers spread via the bloodstream and the entire cardiac output passes through the lungs, it is common for cancer metastases to occur within the lung. Breast cancer may invade directly through local spread, and through lymph node metastases. After metastasis to the liver, colon cancer frequently metastasizes to the lung. Prostate cancer, germ cell cancer and renal cell carcinoma may also metastasize to the lung.

Treatment of respiratory system cancer depends on the type of cancer. Surgical removal of part of a lung (lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection) or of an entire lung pneumonectomy), along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are all used. The chance of surviving lung cancer depends on the cancer stage at the time the cancer is diagnosed, and to some extent on the histology, and is only about 14-17% overall. In the case of metastases to the lung, treatment can occasionally be curative but only in certain, rare circumstances.

Benign tumors

Benign tumors are relatively rare causes of respiratory disease. Examples of benign tumors are:

Pleural cavity diseases

Pleural cavity diseases include pleural mesothelioma which are mentioned above.

A collection of fluid in the pleural cavity is known as a pleural effusion. This may be due to fluid shifting from the bloodstream into the pleural cavity due to conditions such as congestive heart failure and cirrhosis. It may also be due to inflammation of the pleura itself as can occur with infection, pulmonary embolus, tuberculosis, mesothelioma and other conditions.

A pneumothorax is a hole in the pleura covering the lung allowing air in the lung to escape into the pleural cavity. The affected lung “collapses” like a deflated balloon. A tension pneumothorax is a particularly severe form of this condition where the air in the pleural cavity cannot escape, so the pneumothorax keeps getting bigger until it compresses the heart and blood vessels, leading to a life-threatening situation.

Pulmonary vascular disease

Pulmonary vascular diseases are conditions that affect the pulmonary circulation. Examples are:

Neonatal diseases

Pulmonary diseases may also impact newborns, such as pulmonary hyperplasia and Infant respiratory distress syndrome.

Diagnosis

Respiratory diseases may be investigated by performing one or more of the following tests

Epidemiology

Respiratory disease is a common and significant cause of illness and death around the world. In the US, approximately 1 billion "common colds" occur each year.[5] A study found that in 2010, there were approximately 6.8 million emergency department visits for respiratory disorders in the U.S. for patients under the age of 18.[6] In 2012, respiratory conditions were the most frequent reasons for hospital stays among children.[7]

In the UK, approximately 1 in 7 individuals are affected by some form of chronic lung disease, most commonly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.[8]

Respiratory diseases (including lung cancer) are responsible for over 10% of hospitalizations and over 16% of deaths in Canada.[9]

In 2011, respiratory disease with ventilator support accounted for 93.3% of ICU utilization in the United States.[10]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diseases and disorders of the respiratory system.
  1. ↑ http://www.irishscientist.ie/2004/contents.asp?contentxml=04p104.xml&contentxsl=is04pages.xsl
  2. ↑ Sharma, Sat. "Restrictive Lung Disease". Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  3. ↑ "Respiratory Disease & Oral Health". unitedconcordia.com.
  4. ↑ American Academy of Periodontology,kpmjkk 2008
  5. ↑ "National Institutes of Health – common cold". Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  6. ↑ Wier, L. M.; Hao, Y.; Owens, P.; Washington, R. (May 2013). "Overview of Children in the Emergency Department, 2010". HCUP Statistical Brief #157. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Rockville, MD.
  7. ↑ Witt WP, Wiess AJ, Elixhauser A (December 2014). "Overview of Hospital Stays for Children in the United States, 2012". HCUP Statistical Brief #186. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
  8. ↑ "British Lung Foundation - Facts about ukinnam respiratory disease". Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  9. ↑ "Public Health Agency of Canada - Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Chronic Respiratory Diseases". Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  10. ↑ Barrett ML, Smith MW, Elizhauser A, Honigman LS, Pines JM (December 2014). "Utilization of Intensive Care Services, 2011". HCUP Statistical Brief #185. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

11. Holgate, S. T. (2008). Pathogenesis of

asthma.Clinical And Experimental Allergy: Journal Of The British Society For Allergy And Clinical Immunology, 38(6), 872-897.

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