ACTIVITY
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)
- Initiation of exercise - When exercise begins, the medulla oblongata, stimulates inhalation by signaling the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles to contract more forcefully, which causes the rib cage to expand even more. This expands the lungs' capacity, allowing more air—which is necessary for exercise—to reach the lungs.
- Moderate exercise - Your body utilizes more oxygen during exercise and creates more carbon dioxide when your muscles perform harder. The medulla instructs the muscles to begin inhaling and exhaling, and the pons regulates the pace of breathing.
- Abrupt ascent into high altitudes - The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases as altitude rises, resulting in a drop in the blood's oxygen concentration and an increase in respiratory rate as a result. In addition, hypoxic exposure may cause hyperventilation (deep breathing), which, when combined with an increased heart rate, aims to provide the tissues with enough oxygen.
- Paralysis of phrenic nerve - The phrenic nerves are important for breathing because they change the size of your diaphragm to ensure that your lungs can take in and expel air. Phrenic nerve damage can result in a paralyzed diaphragm, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, and even the necessity for a mechanical ventilator to breathe.
- Severe anemia - Breathing issues result from the lungs overcompensating in anemic patients in an effort to take in more oxygen. Low hemoglobin levels make it difficult for enough oxygen to reach the brain, causing blood vessels to expand, blood pressure to fall, headaches, neurological problems, and vertigo.
- Advanced pregnancy - Several anatomical and physiological changes to the respiratory system occur throughout a healthy or advanced pregnancy. In certain cases, the uterus' growth and upward thrust into the abdomen squeeze the lungs slightly, leaving less room for them to exchange oxygen; hormonal changes (progesterone), a hormone that rises during pregnancy, are another factor that contributes to breathlessness.