Dyspnea Research Paper

The respiratory system primarily serves to perform the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. The oxygen, O2, which we inhale into our lungs, is transformed into usable energy through the process of respiration. One of the waste products of respiration is carbon dioxide, CO2, which is what we exhale. Both oxygen and carbon dioxide travel throughout the body through the bloodstream; oxygen is carried from the lungs to the tissues, and carbon dioxide is carried from the tissues to the lungs for removal. The respiratory system regulates our breathing, which is an unconscious and automatic process for the most part, and is thus extremely important in keeping the body alive and healthy.
That being said, there are many conditions which …show more content…
The walls of the alveoli are elastic so they can expand to hold air and relax. When these walls are damaged as a result of emphysema, it can cause dyspnea, which is labored or abnormal breathing, particularly during or after exertion. Some patients may experience dyspnea that is worse when lying down; they can breathe more easily when standing or sitting up. This is known as orthopnea, and is often seen in many pulmonary diseases. Furthermore, emphysema could cause fatigue, coughing, and sometimes even cyanosis (a blue discoloring in the skin that happens because of insufficient oxygen). Most cases of emphysema happen because the patient is a long-time heavy smoker, although air pollution does contribute to it and rarely someone could be genetically predisposed for it. Emphysema also falls under the diseases that make up chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a group of conditions rather than one sole disorder. The other main condition of COPD is chronic bronchitis, in which the bronchial tubes of the lungs are inflamed, …show more content…
These particles can cause inflammation or scar the lung tissue, thus making them very dangerous. There are many different and specific types of pneumoconiosis, the most common being anthracosis (also called black lung or miner’s lung, in which coal dust collects in the lung), asbestosis (in which the mineral asbestos is inhaled, potentially leading to lung cancer), and silicosis (in which dust from the compound silica, or quartz, is inhaled). Sometimes symptoms of pneumoconiosis are not seen until long after the damage is already done. Eventually, it can cause coughing, dyspnea, and chest tightness. If the lungs are damaged significantly from pneumoconiosis, the process in which oxygen travels from the lungs to the blood could be impeded. This condition is known as hypoxemia, in which there is an inadequate amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. It has the potential to negatively affect any organ receiving oxygen from the blood (which is all of them), and it is closely tied to

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