ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

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 esophagus 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 specialized 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 specialized muscular folds that close it off and also prevent food, foreign objects, and secretions such as saliva from entering the lower respiratory tract. Lower airways are trachea, right and left main stem bronchi, segmental bronchi, sub segmental bronchi, terminal bronchi. Pathophysiology Some of the high risk factors for PTB include; those who work in the health care field, drug addicts, those who are severely malnourished and HIV positive individuals. Some symptoms are night sweats, fever, fatigue and more. Surgery or Anti-TB drugs are the usual treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. Infection with TB requires inhalation of droplet nuclei. Following deposition in the alveoli, M tuberculosis is engulfed by alveolar macrophages, but survives and multiplies within the macrophages. Proliferating bacilli kill macrophages and are released; this event produces a response from the immune system. Exposure may lead to clearance of M tuberculosis, persistent latent infection, or progression to primary disease. Successful containment of TB is dependent on the cellular immune system, mediated primarily through T-helper cells (TH1 response). T cells and macrophages form a granuloma with a centre that contains necrotic material (caseous centre), M tuberculosis, and peripheral granulation tissue consisting primarily of macrophages and lymphocytes; the granuloma serves to prevent further growth and spread of M tuberculosis. These individuals are non-infectious and have latent TB infection; the majority of these patients will have a normal CXR and be tuberculin skin test (TST)-positive.

Mycobacterium tubercle

Inhalation of droplet nuclei

Inflammation of alveoli