Respiratory System

↞RESPIRATORY SYSTEM→

• Main function:
The respiratory system is responsible to taking the oxygen and expelling the carbon dioxide.

• What happens when we breathe:

In addition to digestion, respiration or breathing is also part of nutrition. Our bodies need to absorb oxygen in order for our muscles to function. Our respiratory system takes oxygen from the air we breathe.  

• Parts:

The parts of the respiratory system are:

1.Mouth and Nose: Air enters the body through the mouth and nose.

2.Lungs: This to large bags are connected to the bronchi.The bronchi branch into millions of smaller tubes, or bronchioles, here in te lungs.

3.Bronchi: These two smaller tubes connect the trachea to the lungs.

4.Bronchioles: These small tubes inside the lungs. At the end of each bronchiole, there are tiny sacs called alveoli. The air we breathe in goes into these tiny sacs and then passes into the blood vessels which surround them.

5.Trachea: This longs, rigid tube connects our mouth and nose to our two bronchi.

6.Vocal cords: As air passes our vocal cords, they vibrate and enable us to speak.

• Relationship with other system: 

The respiratory system and the circulatory system have a relationship to circulate blood and oxygen throughout the body. Air conditioning and sale of lungs through the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. Blood enters and sells the lungs through the pulmonary arteries and the pathways that connect with the heart.

• Illnesses: 

Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that usually caused by viruses or bacteria and that can last for several  days or weeks. The characteristic are cough, phlegm, shortness of breath and whistling when breathing as a result of obstruction of the inflamed airways. The diagnosis is made through a clinical examination and, sometimes, microbiological analysis of phlegm.  

• Curious fact:

They air we breathe out is made up of waste gases, such as carbon dioxide. This air also contains water vapour. We breathe out about half a litre of water vapour every day.