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Unit Project 4 Essay

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A Typical Cold? by Brent J.F. Hill
Part III—Your Explanation of Sam’s Condition
Objectives and Issues
1. What type of disease is Sam suffering from?
Cystic Fibrosis

2. What tissues and organs does this disease affect? Once you identify all the tissues and organs, briefly explain their respective dysfunction.
Exocrine Glands – glands may become blocked, produce excessive secretions
Sweat Glands – extreme decrease in salt reabsorbtion, resulting in high salt content in sweat.
Lungs – Mucus plugging, chronic bacterial infections, pronounced inflammatory response, damaged airways leading to respiratory insufficiency, progressive decline in pulmonary function.
Male reproductive tract – males with CF are sterile due to degeneration …show more content…

One of the distinguishing features of cystic fibrosis is the thick mucus that lines both the airways and the intestinal tract of affected individuals. In the respiratory tract, this thick mucus is not removed by the cilia that usually beat and push mucus up into the throat. This thick mucus builds up in the airways, and bacteria trapped in the mucus are not removed. Thus bacterial respiratory infections are extremely common.
Colorado.edu

4. Explain the reasoning behind the appearance of his sputum.
Sam's sputum was viscid because the excessive Chloride ions inside the cells attract water, so water does not leave the cells. This water is what makes the mucus thin and slippery. Without the water the mucus is thick and sticky.
Sam's sputum was probably green due to all of the bacteria that has built up in his respiratory tract because the mucus escalator cannot move the mucus up and out..
Textbook pg 817 5. Typically, a pulmonary function test will not be given until about age 7. However, if Sam was given a pulmonary function test it will demonstrate a decreased FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) and FVC (forced vital capacity). Based on these hypothetical pulmonary function test results, answer the following questions:
1. What can you infer about the surface area and/or diffusion distance for gas exchange in Sam’s lungs?
I would guess that the surface area has been decreased and the diffusion distance for gas

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