Briefly explain the main cause or mechanism of increase in respiratory rate or depth and/or respiratory difficulties in the following cases: (one to two sentences only)
1. Initiation of exercise: At the start of exercise, there are neural changes that send excitatory impulses to the inspiratory area in the medulla oblongata which causes the ventilation to increase (Tortora & Derrickson, 2012).
2. Moderate exercise: When the muscles work hard, there is an increase in the demand of the body for oxygen; hence, the lungs function and work harder to supply oxygen in the blood that will be delivered to the working muscles (Vaux-Bjerke, 2019).
3. Asthma attack: The respiratory difficulty during an asthma attack is caused by the constriction of muscles that surround the bronchial tubes and extra mucus production, which makes the air passages narrow (Asthma Attack | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment, 2022).
4. Abrupt ascent into high altitudes: As the altitude increases, the level of oxygen in the air decreases, which is detected by the peripheral chemoreceptors causing rapid or deep breathing to maximize the amount of oxygen to be supplied in the blood from the lungs(High-Altitude Illness: How to Avoid It and How to Treat It, 1998; Libretexts, 2020).
5. Pneumonia: The difficulty in breathing in pneumonia is caused by the tiny air sacs inside the lungs that are filled with fluid or pus as well as the inflammation of the airway with the presence of mucus (Crosta, 2022).
6. Paralysis of phrenic nerve: Phrenic nerve is responsible for the contraction and expansion of the diaphragm which allows the lungs to inhale and exhale air; hence, paralysis of the phrenic nerve makes the diaphragm paralyzed, which causes respiratory difficulty because it cannot be moved (Phrenic Nerve: Anatomy & Function, n.d.).
7. Severe tuberculosis with resulting lung scar tissue: The breathing difficulty experienced due to severe tuberculosis with resulting lung scar tissue is caused by pulmonary fibrosis which happened when lung tissue is scarred. With this, the lungs do not work properly because the tissues are thickened making it hard for the oxygen to be delivered to the rest of the body, which results in shortness of breath (Pulmonary Fibrosis - Symptoms and Causes, 2018).
8. Severe anemia: The difficulty of breathing in severe anemia is due to the lack of oxygen supply in the body making the lungs overcompensate in order to restore oxygen levels to normal (Rojas, 2020).
9. advanced COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease): The respiratory difficulty experienced in advanced COPD is caused by the airways and tiny air sacs that cannot stretch and shrink back as well as the destroyed walls between the air sacs (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), 2022).
10. Advanced pregnancy: During pregnancy shallow breathing and shortness of breath are commonly experienced because as the fetus grows bigger, the uterus increases the pressure on the diaphragm which plays a key role in breathing (Nall, 2022). The lungs also do not have sufficient space for a full breath because the organs are pushed and squeezed as well by the uterus (Riley, 2022).
References:
Asthma Attack | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. (2022, April 18). ACAAI Public Website. https://acaai.org/asthma/symptoms/asthma-attack/
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). (2022, April 11). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/respiratory/index.html
Crosta, P. (2022, January 6). What you should know about pneumonia.https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151632
High-Altitude Illness: How to Avoid It and How to Treat It. (1998, April 15). AAFP. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/1998/0415/p1924.html
Libretexts. (2020, August 14). 21.11B: Adjustments at High Altitude. Medicine LibreTexts.https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Book:_Anatomy_and_Physiology_(Boundless)/21:_Respiratory_System/21.11:_Respiratory_Adjustments/21.11B:_Adjustments_at_High_Altitude
Nall, R. M. (2022, January 31). Causes of shortness of breath during pregnancy.https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322316.
Phrenic Nerve: Anatomy & Function. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 27, 2022, fromhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22270-phrenic-nerve
Pulmonary fibrosis - Symptoms and causes. (2018, March 6). Mayo Clinic.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-fibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353690
Riley, L. (2022). What to Know About Shortness of Breath During Pregnancy. https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/aches-pains/pregnancy-symptoms-complaints-shortness-of-breath/
Rojas, Y. (2020, July 23). 10 Symptoms of Anemia You Shouldn’t Ignore. Texas Medical Institute.https://www.texasmedicalinstitute.com/10-symptoms-of-anemia-you-shouldnt-ignore/
Tortora & Derrickson. (2012). Chapter 23: The Respiratory System. In Principles of anatomy and physiology (13th ed.). Pp 956
Vaux-Bjerke, A. (2019, June 14). Why Does Your Breathing Rate Increase During Exercise? LIVESTRONG.COM.https://www.livestrong.com/article/149316-why-does-your-breathing-rate-increase-during-exercise/