Lower respiratory tract disorders

Respiratory disorders are divided into two groups upper respiratory tract disorders and lower respiratory tract disorders. Upper respiratory tract disorders are called upper respiratory infections (URIs). These include the common cold, acute ihinitis (not the same as allergic rhinitis), sinusitis, acute tonsillitis, and acute laryngitis. 

A list of drugs utilized in the treatment of lower respiratory tract disorders is provided in the Appendix. Detailed tables show doses, recommendations, expectations, side effects, contraindications, and more available on the book s Web site (see URL in Appendix). 

The nurse must not administer antihistaminesto patients with lower respiratory tract diseases If the nurse administers these drugs to patients with disorders such as asthma, the drying effect on the respiratory tract may cause thickening of the respiratory secretionsand make expectoration more difficult. 

Other disorders of the lower respiratory tract include emphysema (lung disorder in which the terminal bronchioles or alveoli become enlarged and plugged with mucus) and chronic bronchitis (chronic inflammation and possibly infection of die bronchi). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is die name given collectively to emphysema and chronic bronchitis because die obstruction to die airflow is present most of the time. Asdima diat is persistent and present for most of die time may also be referred to as COPD. 

Miscellaneous Anxiety depression dizziness headache rash abdominal pain/discomfort gingival disorder infectious diarrhea nausea rectal pain/discomfort tooth disorder vomiting arthritis back pain myalgia lower extremity pain menstrual irregularity vaginitis influenza upper/lower respiratory tract infection fatigue otitis sleep disorder urinary tract infection. 

Clinical pharmacology Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a chronic, hereditary, usually fatal, autosomal recessive disorder in which a low concentration of alphai-proteinase inhibitor is associated with slowly progressive, severe, panacinar emphysema that most often manifests itself in the third to fourth decades of fife. The pathogenesis of development of emphysema in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is believed to be due to a chronic biochemical imbalance between elastase and alphai-proteinase inhibitor (the principal inhibitor of neutrophil elastase), which is deficient in alpha-1 antitrypsin disease. As a result it is believed that alveolar structures are unprotected from chronic exposure to elastase released from a chronic low-level burden of neutrophils in the lower respiratory tract, resulting in progressive degradation... 

Crj stal, R.G., Bitterman, P.B., Rennard, S.I. et al. (1984). Interstitial lung diseases of unknown cause. Disorders characterized by chronic inflammation of the lower respiratory tract. N. Engl. J. Med. 310, 154-166. 

There are numerous naturally occurring diseases of the respiratory system that may affect either the upper or lower respiratory tract. The models for some of the major respiratory disorders (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), asthma, fibrotic lung disease) will be briefly summarized. 

Many of the techniques and problems of genetic studies are nicely illustrated by the example of diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB), a disorder characterized by chronic sinusitis and inflammation of the airways of the lower respiratory tract. It occurs predominantly in East Asian populations (Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans), suggesting that there may be a founder effect. 

Travis WD, Colby TV, Koss MN, et al. Non-Neoplastic Disorders of the Lower Respiratory Tract. Atlas of Nontumor Pathology. Washington, DC American Registry of Pathology, 2002 266-290. 

Compared to controls, 41 MEK workers with an average of 14 years exposure exhibited significantly lower motor nerve conduction velocities in the median, ulnar, and peroneal nerves irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract and a neurotoxic syndrome characterized by mood disorders, irritability, memory difficulties, sleep disturbances, headache, and numbness were also more prevalent in the exposed workers/... 

Flower pigments of the East African koso tree Hage-nia abyssinica (Rosaceae), occurring in the plant as a mixture of a-K. (C25H32O8, Mr 460.52, yellow needles, mp. 160°C), and K. (C25HJ2O, Mr 460.52, mp. 120°C). K. are the decomposition products of the so-called koso toxin and prototoxin. These compounds are muscle toxins for lower animals. Koso also has a muscle-paralysing effect in warm-blooded animals and causes death by respiratory paralysis. In humans, local irritations of the gastrointestinal tract, visual disorders, and severe states of collapse have been observed. K. slows cardiac activity. It is used as an anthelminthic. 

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