Ex. 2B: Questions about lung volumes and capacities. a) Taller people generally

Question

Ex. 2B: Questions about lung volumes and capacities. a) Taller people generally have greater lung volumes than shorter people, Why? This is becouse taller peopte tend to have a larger thoracic cage and with that, a laracr diaphragm banefiting them to have aher lune Volume capacity b) Males generally have greater lung volumes and capacities than females. Why? Because physiologicaldly the avevage male tends to be larger than th avevaae Female. Anel jus A5 .tailer People-have.a . Iarger horacic cage and diaphvcajwi ) is too can vavy bu sex. e) Lungs mature at 20-25 years of age. Vital capacity decreases with age after this point. Why? Because there are seveval na tural body changes that happen as you get older. Muscles live the daphagw can weoven and luna tissue los es elasthctY whicv can mate your aur ways become Smciller d) In what way do you think overall health (e.g. asthma, etc.) and fitness (e.g. swimmer, etc.) affect these values?

Explanation / Answer

Lung capacity can be expanded through flexibility exercises such as yoga, breathing exercises, and physical activity. A greater lung capacity is sought by people such as athletes, freedivers, singers, and wind-instrument players. A stronger and larger lung capacity allows more air to be inhaled into the lungs. In using lungs to play a wind instrument for example, exhaling an expanded volume of air will give greater control to the player and allow for a clearer and louder tone.

People with obstructive lung disease have airflow limitation due to inability to completely expel air from the lungs. Because of narrowing of the airways, an abnormally increased amount of air remains in the lungs at the end of full exhalation. Some conditions related to obstructive lung disease include:

– Asthma,

– Bronchiectasis

– Cystic fibrosis, and

– Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which encompasses emphysema and chronic bronchitis

On the other hand, people with restrictive lung disease have difficulty in expanding their lungs when they inhale. The difficulty filling lungs with air often results from stiffness in the lungs themselves and in other cases, chest wall stiffness, weak muscles or damaged nerves. Some conditions related to restrictive lung disease include:

– Interstitial lung disease,

– Sarcoidosis,

– Neuromuscular disease,

– Pulmonary fibrosis,

– Asbestosis and Mesothelioma, and

– Silicosis.

aerobic activity leads to a larger lung capacity for both males and females and a greater lung capacity leads to a more efficient respiratory system to distribute oxygen throughout the body. Physical inactivity and smoking have, of course, the opposite effect to the capacity of the lungs to expand and function. Most adults nowadays do not meet the current recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on 5-7 days per week. Smoking and sedentary lifestyle both are negatively associated with healthy lungs, causing a person to have lower lung capacity.

In certain other respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma, the airways become narrowed and results in difficulty in inspiration and expiration. Since the negative intra-thoracic pressure during inspiration helps to maintain the airways open during inspiration, the impact of the disease is more during expiration than during inspiration. This causes trapping of air inside the lungs causing the residual volume and hence the functional residual capacity to be increased. The inspiratory reserve volume is relatively constant but the expiratory reserve volume tends to reduce. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this phenomenon is exaggerated as the connective tissue in the lung parenchyma is destructed in addition to the airway narrowing. Therefore, the residual volume increases further resulting in a barrel-shaped chest. This rise in residual volume also decreases the vital capacity and to compensate the tidal volume becomes deeper and the respiratory rate becomes slower.

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