By Stella Rivas & Brittney Ruiz

1. The Respiratory System By Stella Rivas & Brittney Ruiz

2. Main Purposes of the Respiratory System • To help supply the blood with enough oxygen to then deliver all over the body (through breathing) • Removes carbon dioxide from the body • The carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange takes place in the alveoli (small air sacs in the lungs)

3. The Basics • Nasal passage: helps pass air to body • Oral captivity: helps pass air to body • Pharynx: throat; afunnel shaped passageway that leads to the trachea • Larynx: hollow muscular organ, voice box • Trachea: atube connecting the nose and mouth to the lungs • Bronchi: two tubes that passes air through lungs and bronchioles • Alveoli: small pouches inside lungs, location of carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange • Lungs: main organ in the respiratory system • Capillaries: blood vessels imbedded on the walls of the alveoli • Diaphragm: a dome-shaped muscle that works with your lungs to make the body inhale air, push the air out and reduce pressure in the thoracic cavity

4. How It Works • Air is inhaled into the nose or mouth • It travels down the back of the throat and into the windpipe, or trachea • The trachea divides into air passages called bronchial tubes • The bronchial tubes pass through the lungs and divide into smaller air passages called bronchioles • The bronchioles end in tiny balloon-like air sacs called alveoli • Your body has over 300 million alveoli • The alveoli are surrounded by a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries • Oxygen, from the inhaled air, passes through the alveoli walls and into the blood • After absorbing oxygen, the blood leaves the lungs and is carried to the heart • Your heart then pumps it through your body to provide oxygen to the cells of your tissues and organs • As the cells use the oxygen, carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed into the blood • The blood then carries the carbon dioxide back to the lungs through the capillaries, where it is removed from the body when you exhale

5. Asthma • Asthma often starts in childhood but the attacks happen in all age groups • The disease is characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing • severity and frequency varies from person to person. • This condition is due to inflammation of the air passages in the lungs affecting the sensitivity of the nerve endings in the airways so they become easily irritated. They swell causing the airways to narrow, making it more difficult for air to flow in and out of the lungs, causing an attack.

6. Asthma Treatment There isn’t a cure for asthma but there are ways to control it like: • Avoiding things that worsen your asthma (except physical activity) • Having an “action plan” • An action plan will help you figure out how severe your asthma is and know when to call the doctor or go to the emergency room • It will also help determine what medicines you should take • Taking medicine • The preferred long-term medicine is inhaled corticosteroids • They are the most effective medicine for relief of inflammation and swelling that makes your airways sensitive to certain substances that may be inhaled • The preferred quick-relief medicine is Inhaled short-acting beta2-agonists • They act quickly to relax the tight muscle around your airways when you’re having a flare-up, so the airways open and allow air to flow

7. How to Keep Your Respiratory System Healthy • Try avoiding these: • SMOKING • Second hand smoking • Dusty and harsh polluted areas • Instead do: • Exercise • Maintain a healthy diet

8. Quiz Time! 1. What is the main organ in the Respiratory System? A) Kidneys B) Lungs C) Heart D) Trachea 2. The air sacs in the lungs are correctly called… A) Alveoli B) Capillaries C) Papillae D) Villi 3. Carbon Dioxide is carried through the bloodstream by… A) Carbon monoxide B) Ammonia C) The nerves system D) carboxyhemoglobin 4. What is the main function of the diaphragm? A) Brings in air through nose passageways B) Pushes air in C) Holds lungs in place D) Helps push the air out and reduce pressure in the thoracic cavity 5. What is the preferred entry for air to enter the respiratory system? A) Pharynx B) Trachea C) Nose D) Nasal Cavity

9. Quiz Time Cont. 6. What is the body getting rid of when you breathe out? A) Oxygen B) Carbondioxide C) Hydrogen D) Nitrogen 7. Gas exchange in the body… A) Controls the hearts rate B) The amount of air brought in C) The amount of time you can hold your breathe D) Controls the rate of respiration 8. What is the direction of the diffusion of gases in the alveoli of the lungs? A) Left lung to right lung B) Oxygen into blood, CO2 out of the blood C) Right to left D) Oxygen into blood, CO2 into blood 9. The small pouches inside our body is referred to… A) Alveoli B) Lungs C) Kidneys D) Diaphragm 10. About how many alveoli does the body contain? A) 3 Billion B) 200 Million C) 300 million D) 2 billion

10. Bibliography Brewer, Sarah. The Human Body: A Visual Guide to Human Anatomy. London: Quercus, 2009. Print. Parker, Steve. The Human Body Book. New York: DK Pub., 2007. N. pag. Print. YouTube. YouTube. YouTube, 05 May 2010. Web. 12 May 2013. http://www.webmd.com/lung/how-we-breathe http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sraylman/physiology/fig1326version11_ct.html http://www.brainpop.com/health/respiratorysystem/respiratorysystem/preview.weml