UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT Respiration is defined in two ways.

In common usage, respiration refers to the act of breathing, or inhaling and exhaling. Biologically speaking, respiration strictly means the uptake of oxygen by an organism, its use in the tissues, and the release of carbon dioxide. By either definition, respiration has two main functions: to supply the cells of the body with the oxygen needed for metabolism and to remove carbon dioxide formed as a waste product from metabolism. This lesson describes the components of the upper respiratory tract. The upper respiratory tract conducts air from outside the body to the lower respiratory tract and helps protect the body from irritating substances. The upper respiratory tract consists of the following structures: The nasal cavity, the mouth, the pharynx, the epiglottis, the larynx, and the upper trachea. The oesophagus leads to the digestive tract. One of the features of both the upper and lower respiratory tracts is the mucociliary apparatus that protects the airways from irritating substances, and is composed of the ciliated cells and mucusproducing glands in the nasal epithelium. The glands produce a layer of mucus that traps unwanted particles as they are inhaled. These are swept toward the posterior pharynx, from where they are swallowed, spat out, sneezed, or blown out. Air passes through each of the structures of the upper respiratory tract on its way to the lower respiratory tract. When a person at rest inhales, air enters via the nose and mouth. The nasal cavity filters, warms, and humidifies air. The pharynx or throat is a tube like structure that connects the back of the nasal cavity and mouth to the larynx, a passageway for air, and the esophagus, a passageway for food. The pharynx serves as a common hallway for the respiratory and digestive tracts, allowing both air and food to pass through before entering the appropriate passageways. The pharynx contains a specialised flap-like structure called the epiglottis that lowers over the larynx to prevent the inhalation of food and liquid into the lower respiratory tract. The larynx, or voice box, is a unique structure that contains the vocal cords, which are essential for human speech. Small and triangular in shape, the larynx extends from the epiglottis to the trachea. The larynx helps control movement of the epiglottis. In addition, the larynx has specialised muscular folds that close it off and also prevent food, foreign objects, and secretions such as saliva from entering the lower respiratory tract. LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT The lower respiratory tract begins with the trachea, which is just below the larynx. The trachea, or windpipe, is a hollow, flexible, but sturdy air tube that contains C-shaped cartilage in its walls. The inner portion of the trachea is called the lumen. The first branching point of the respiratory tree occurs at the lower end of the trachea, which divides into two larger airways of the lower respiratory tract called the right bronchus and left bronchus. The wall of each bronchus contains substantial amounts of cartilage that help keep the airway open. Each bronchus enters a lung at a site called the hilum. The bronchi branch sequentially into secondary bronchi and tertiary bronchi. The tertiary bronchi branch into the bronchioles. The bronchioles branch several times until they arrive at the terminal bronchioles, each of which subsequently branches into two or more respiratory bronchioles. The respiratory bronchiole leads into alveolar ducts and alveoli. The alveoli are bubble-like, elastic, thin-walled structures that are responsible for the lungs most vital function: the exchange

of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Each structure of the lower respiratory tract, beginning with the trachea, divides into smaller branches. This branching pattern occurs multiple times, creating multiple branches. In this way, the lower respiratory tract resembles an upside-down tree that begins with one trachea trunk and ends with more than 250 million alveoli leaves. Because of this resemblance, the lower respiratory tract is often referred to as the respiratory tree.

In descending order, these generations of branches include: trachea right bronchus and left bronchus secondary bronchi tertiary bronchi bronchioles terminal bronchioles respiratory bronchioles alveoli THE LUNGS lungs thumb Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) Case Study

The thoracic cage, or ribs, and the diaphragm bound th