Lungs – anatomical structure, the most common diseases and functions in the body [EXPLAINED]

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The lungs control the functioning of the entire respiratory system and are its central part. The left lung has two lobes and the right one has three lobes. Their operation is coordinated and is primarily used for gas exchange. As a result of this process, oxygen enters all cells of the body. How does the lungs work? What is the total lung capacity? Do lungs hurt and what diseases can they be affected by? We answer.

How are human lungs built?

The lungs are a paired respiratory organ that is found in all vertebrates that breathe atmospheric air. They have a spongy structure and a conical shape. They are located behind the rib cage wall and the intercostal muscles. The right lung is separated from the left lung by the mediastinum beginning at the level of the collarbones and ending with the diaphragm. In the mediastinum there are, among others the heart that lies in cardiac notch of the left lung.

Right lung it consists of three lobes: upper, middle and lower. It has a larger surface area than the left lung, consisting of only two lobes: the upper and the lower. Both lungs are covered pleura, that is, the serous membrane. It has two layers – one directly lines the lobes of the lungs and the other is adjacent to the walls of the chest. The space between these layers is called pleural cavity.

It leads from the upper respiratory system to the lungs trachea separating into two parts: right main bronchus and left main bronchus. Each of them, along with the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein, depart to a different lung at a location known as the hilum. Main bronchi branch to segmental bronchiand those to the interlobular which are finished bronchioles. Next to each bronchus, there is a pulmonary cluster made of millions of alveoli. The total area of ​​the same alveoli ranges from 50 to 90 square meters.

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Lung functions in the respiratory system

The lungs have two functions – respiratory and filtering. It is there that the most important stage of the breathing process takes place. Oxygen molecules are released in the alveoli from the air that enters the lungs through the nose or mouth, and then the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. Through hemoglobin, they go to the bloodstream and then to the cells of the entire body. At the same time, carbon dioxide in the blood is absorbed by the alveoli and leaves the respiratory system on exhalation.

In the lungs, not only does gas exchange take place, but also the air is cleaned. Undesirable substances as well as bacteria and viruses that are not retained by the lining of the nasal cavity are taken up by the mucus that covers the lungs. With the movement of the cilia located on the surface pulmonary parenchyma the contaminated mucus returns to the bronchioles. From there, it comes out when you cough or swallow.

Check what the water in your lungs can tell you

Basic parameters and examination of the lungs

Functional tests of the respiratory system allow the determination of many parameters of the lung function. Among the most important that can be known thanks to spirometry, the following are listed:

1. total lung capacity (TLC),
2. forced vital capacity (FVC),
3. Forced expiratory capacity in one second (FEV1)
4. tidal volume (TV),
5. inspiratory capacity (IC),
6. inspiratory backup volume (IRV),
7. expiratory backup volume (ERV).

A special type of spirometry is dynamic spirometry. During the test, the airflow is recorded for forced exhalation only. Forced exhalation should last more than 6 seconds. Another frequently performed lung examination is also pulse oscillometry i plethysmography. Pulse oscillometry measures respiratory resistance, while plethysmography is used to assess the total amount of air in the lungs.

Lung diseases – types and symptoms

The lungs never hurt because they are not innervated. However, they can become ill due to infection by a virus, bacterium, protozoan or fungus. Lung diseases also develop due to genetic conditions and neoplastic changes. Impressions felt as lung pain they are actually from the chest.

Pneumonia it includes lobes, bronchi, or flesh. It causes shortness of breath, body weakness, dizziness and even disturbance of consciousness. Inflammation causes mucus to form in the lungs. The following types of inflammation are distinguished:

1. aspiration pneumonia,
2. viral pneumonia,
3. fungal pneumonia,
4. bacterial pneumonia,
5. allergic pneumonia,
6. atypical pneumonia,
7. chronic pneumonia.

Pneumonia often occurs in people with extremely lowered immunity, such as those suffering from AIDS or cancer.

Other lung conditions include:

1. asthma (symptoms: wheezing, chest tightness, cough),
2. tuberculosis (symptoms: low-grade fever, cough, haemoptysis, shortness of breath, sweating, weight loss),
3. pneumoconiosis (symptoms: shortness of breath, cough, coughing up mucus or purulent discharge),
4. emphysema (symptoms: cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, muscle weakness),
5. lung abscess (symptoms: fever, chills, cough, coughing up foul discharge),
6. cystic fibrosis (symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, recurrent pneumonia and bronchitis),
7. sarcoidosis (symptoms: cough, chest pain and osteoarticular pain, skin erythema nodosum, palpitations),
8. idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (symptoms: weight loss, low-grade fever, club fingers, edema of the lower limbs),
9. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (symptoms: chronic cough, sputum production, respiratory failure, wheezing),
10. lung cancer (symptoms: coughing up bloody mucus, recurrent pneumonia, hoarseness, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, chest pain).

If your lungs are not working as they should, support their functioning by using the breath trainer – Gima’s three-chamber respirogram or the breath trainer with adjustable resistance Threshold by Philips IMT.

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