Biology As Lung Disease
Biology As Lung Disease
Biology As Lung Disease
emphysema
Session objectives
Homework Questions on TB
Exam Countdown.
Biology Unit 1
11/01/2011
weeks
(including holidays)
Do now.
Complete the questions on pressure
changes during breathing
Respiratory diseases
Respiratory diseases are one of the biggest causes of death
worldwide.
Respiratory diseases affect the lungs, bronchi, trachea and
throat. They can be mild (e.g. cold) or life-threatening (e.g.
pneumonia, lung cancer).
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) is a
term for a group of diseases that cause a reduction in the
airflow in the lungs and which are not fully reversible.
Two of the more serious types of COPD are chronic
bronchitis and emphysema, and are both usually caused
by smoking.
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bronchi
normal
airway
mucus
inflammed
airway
COPD: emphysema
Emphysema is a gradual breakdown of alveolar walls and
damage to terminal bronchioles and alveolar capillaries.
This reduces the efficiency of gas exchange, causing
chronic breathlessness and hyperventilation.
Using this photo of
healthy lung tissue
(left) and emphysema
lung tissue (right), can
you explain why gas
exchange is less
efficient in
emphysema?
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Diagnosing COPD
There is no one single test for COPD. Diagnosis depends
on taking into account a patients risk factors (e.g. whether
they smoke, their age), their symptoms and clinical tests.
Testing the patients lung
function using spirometry
is essential. It can
determine whether there is
airway obstruction and can
help exclude the possibility
of other respiratory
diseases, such as asthma
or lung cancer.
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Task
Define the terms from the
graph
Treating COPD
Stopping smoking is the single most important step in
slowing the decline in lung function in people with COPD.
Medicines commonly prescribed to treat COPD include
bronchodilators, which widen the airways by relaxing
smooth muscles, and corticosteroids, which act as antiinflammatories.
Oxygen therapy,
especially for people
with emphysema, may
be required for most of
each day.
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What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic condition in which the airways
occasionally narrow and become inflamed, limiting airflow.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer-related deaths in
men and second-biggest cause in women. About 90% of
cases are caused by smoking.
Most incidences of lung
cancer are due to
uncontrolled growth of
epithelial cells lining the
airways. Cancers arising
from these cells are
called carcinomas.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing (including
coughing up blood) and loss of weight.
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Lung cancer
Lung cancer generally develops quite slowly. By the time it
has been diagnosed, the cancer may have spread to other
areas of the body. This is called metastasis, and makes it
difficult to treat successfully.
Lung cancer can be seen
on an X-ray or a CT scan,
and diagnosis is usually
confirmed after a small
sample of tissue is taken
(a biopsy) and analysed.
Like many other cancers, lung cancer is treated by surgery,
chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
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Cancer statistics
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Task
Lung Disease
Complete the following for
each disease Describe the cause of infection,
symptoms and transmission of
pulmonary tuberculosis
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Glossary
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Multiple-choice quiz
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