• What is the respiratory system?
• Functions of the respiratory system
• Organs of the respiratory system
• Diseases of the respiratory system

We explain what the respiratory system is and its different functions. In addition, the organs that compose it and their diseases.

The respiratory system exchanges gases with the environment.

What is the respiratory system?

It is known as the respiratory system or respiratory system to all the organs and ducts of the body of the living creatures that allow them to exchange gases with the environment where they are. In this sense, the structure of this system and its mechanisms can vary enormously depending on the habitat where I live.

The name of the system comes from the fact that it allows breathing: the income of air inside the body of animals, from which oxygen is extracted, and the subsequent expulsion of the carbon dioxide (CO2) whose presence in the body would be harmful.

In this sense, the respiratory system is complemented by the circulatory system, since the latter carries oxygen in the blood to the confines of the body and returns the CO2 to the lungs to prevent it from modifying the pH of the organism. Breathing consists of two stages: inhalation (air intake) and exhalation (air release).

Unlike the Humans, certain animals have respiratory systems that do not involve lungs, but gills to breathe under the Water or cutaneous respiration mechanisms (through the skin).

Functions of the respiratory system

The respiratory system allows the expulsion of carbon dioxide.

The elementary function of the respiratory system is, as its name implies, respiration or ventilation. This is, as we explained before, the entry into the body of a volume air of the atmosphere, from which oxygen will be passively extracted, an essential element for the oxidation of glucose that gives Energy to our body. And at the same time, the system allows the expulsion of the carbon dioxide resulting from this process.

Organs of the respiratory system

The larynx connects the pharynx with the trachea and the lungs.

The human respiratory system is made up of the following parts:

• Nostrils. The holes in the nose, where everything begins. The air penetrates through them, filtered by a series of villi and mucous membranes that prevent access to solid waste and other non-gaseous elements.
• Pharynx. The connection between the nostrils, the oral cavity and the esophagus and larynx, contains defensive mucous membranes and is located in the neck.
• Larynx. Duct that connects the pharynx with the trachea and the lungs, and in which the vocal cords are found, as well as the glottis (bell) and a series of muscles that in case of obstruction act by reflex, clearing the way.
• Windpipe. The final stretch of the duct, which connects the larynx and the lungs. It has a set of C-shaped cartilages that keep the canal open against external compression.
• Lungs. The main organs of the breathingThey are two large sacs that are filled with air and allow gas exchange between air and blood. To do this, they have bronchi (air ducts to the bronchioles), bronchioles (narrower ducts between the bronchi and the alveoli) and finally, the pulmonary alveoli (even narrower ducts, single-celled wall, which allows the passage of oxygen to the blood).
• Intercostal muscles. A series of muscles in the chest that mobilize it during breathing.
• Diaphragm. The muscle that separates the abdomen from the thorax is responsible for inhalation and exhalation: it contracts and falls, expanding the rib cage. Then he relaxes and climbs up, compressing the winch and blowing the air out.
• Pleura. A serous membrane that covers the two lungs and that maintains a cavity between their two layers (internal and external), whose pressure is lower than that of the atmosphere, to allow the expansion of the lungs during inhalation.

Diseases of the respiratory system

Lung cancer is very common in smokers.

The respiratory system is susceptible to diseases such as

• Cancer. Due to the recurrent presence of toxic gases dissolved in the atmosphere in the lungs, if not from smoke inhaled by smokers (and those around them), it is possible to develop malignant tumors in the lungs.
• Colds The most common disease of the respiratory tract is due to the presence of virus in the upper (external) stages of the system, which is why they are fought by the mucous membranes through sneezing, secretions, fever, etc.
• Infections The presence of bacteria in the respiratory tract, either in the upper stages (pharyngitis, laryngitis) or in the lungs (pneumonia or pneumonia), it usually requires treatment with antibiotics and rest, as it causes fatigue and decreased blood pressure. effectiveness of respiration.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Very common among smokers and workers miners, it is a disease in which the alveolar ducts of the lungs become progressively and usually irreversibly obstructed, leading to a loss of respiratory capacity and drastically shortening life.