Diseases of the

Respiratory and
Circulatory System
Can I ask you something? Do you really take care of your
body? What do you think the effect of a bad lifestyle to your
Respiratory and Circulatory System? Before having a bad
habit, do you think first what would be the effect of this in
your health?
In this blog post, we’ll tackle about that. Please look forward
on it!
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This is my blog post about the diseases of the respiratory
and circulatory system.
As you can see there’s an info graphic showing a cause and
effect.
  The Diseases
1. Kinds
2. Definitions
3. Causes and Symptoms
4. Treatment/Cure
 Effects of bad lifestyle to our respiratory and circulatory
system and how can we avoid it
 Important tips

THE DISEASES
RESPIRATORY DISEASES
Pneumonia
A common lung disease caused by an infection that
inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs
 Symptoms, which include cough, fever, shaking chills
and shortness of breath, can range from mild to severe.
 Most people can recover in one to three weeks, but for
certain people, pneumonia can be extremely serious
and even life-threatening.
 It’s important to adults 65-years old and above or those
with chronic diseases to get pneumococcal pneumonia
vaccine.
A Photo of a healthy lung and a lung with Pneumonia

Asthma
One of the major non-communicable diseases
 Symptoms may occur several times in a day or week in
affected individuals, and for some people become worse
during physical activity or at night.
 The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are a
combination of genetic predisposition with environmental
exposure to inhaled substances and particles that may
provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways
 Asthma can’t be cured but with medications such as inhaled
corticosteroids. It’s important to avoid asthma triggers.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Not one single disease but an umbrella term used to
describe several respiratory illnesses that cause
breathlessness, or the inability to exhale normally.
 The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness,
or a ‘need for air’, excessive mucus production, and a
chronic cough.
 The causes for COPD have opposite patterns according to
the geographic areas. In high and middle-income countries,
tobacco smoke is the biggest risk factor, meanwhile in low-
income countries, exposure to indoor air pollution, such as
 the use of biomass fuels for cooking and heating, causes the
COPD burden.
 COPD are preventable by avoidance or early termination of
smoking. COPD is not curable, but treatment can relieve
symptoms, improve quality of life and reduce the risk of
death.

quicklearningpoint.com

Chronic bronchitis
One type of COPD emphasized by a chronic cough
and usually people cough up sputum (mucus from the
lungs), especially in the morning.
 Symptoms associated with acute bronchitis will
subside once the infection has resolved.
 People can also develop acute bronchitis, which
is not a long-term disease but rather an infectious
problem. It develops from a viral or bacterial
infection and can be treated with antibiotics.
 Since chronic bronchitis is a form of COPD, it’s
treated the same way. It often includes medicines
to open your airways and help clear away mucus.
You may also need oxygen therapy. Pulmonary
rehabilitation may help you manage better in
daily life.
http://thelunghealthinstitute.com

Emphysema
Emphysema is a serious respiratory disease, which is
another form of COPD.
 The symptoms are frequent coughing or wheezing, a
cough that produces a lot mucus, shortness of breath,
especially with physical activity, a whistling or
squeaky sound when you breathe, tightness in your
chest
 The most common cause is smoking. Those who
suffer from emphysema have trouble exhaling air from
their lungs.
 Emphysema evolves slowly over the years, and there
is no cure; however, those who quit smoking are more
likely to see the disease’s progression slow. Wear a
mask to protect your lungs if you work with chemical
fumes or dust.
An X-Ray of a lung that have Emphysema
http://radiopaedia.com
Cystic Fibrosis/ Bronchiectasis
A genetic respiratory disease caused by a defective
gene that creates thick and sticky mucus that clogs up
tubes and passageways. This mucus causes repeat, and
dangerous, lung infections, as well as obstructions in the
pancreas that prevent important enzymes from breaking
down nutrients for the body.
 Symptoms of cystic fibrosis include salty-tasting
skin, chronic coughing, frequent lung infections
and a poor growth rate in children.
 It’s caused by a defective gene that creates thick
and sticky mucus that clogs up tubes and
passageways.
 Cystic Fibrosis has no cure. However, treatments
and medicines can help to control the symptoms
of Cystic Fibrosis. People with cystic fibrosis
need to take different medicines to treat and
prevent lung problems such as:
1. Antibiotics to prevent and treat chest
infections
2. medicines to make the mucus in the
lungs thinner and easier to cough up –
for example, dornase alfa, hypertonic
saline and mannitol dry powder
3. medicine to help reduce the levels of
mucus in the body – for example,
ivacaftor taken on its own (Kalydeco) or
in combination with lumacaftor
 (Orkambi, but this is only available on
compassionate grounds if people fulfil
several criteria set by the manufacturer)
4. bronchodilators to widen the airways
and make breathing easier
5. steroid medicine to treat small growths
inside the nose (nasal polyps)
6. It's also important that people with cystic
fibrosis are up-to-date with all routine
vaccinations and have the flu jab each
year once they're old enough.
 In addition to the treatments, you need to have a
regular exercise (Any kind of physical activity, like
running, swimming or football, can help clear
mucus from the lungs and improve physical
strength and overall health. A physiotherapist can
advise on the right exercises and activities for
each individual.
An X-Ray of a lung with Cystic Fibrosis
SOURCE: https://www.idsmed.com/news/respiratory-
diseases-the-leading-cause-of-death-that-most-people-dont-
know_446.html
https://www.unitypoint.org/homecare/article.aspx?
id=2448b930-1451-43e4-8634-c0c16707c749
http://pinterest.ph

CIRCULATORY DISEASES

High Blood Pressure

The measurement of how much force is used to pump
blood through your arteries. If you have high blood
pressure, also called hypertension, it means the force is
higher than it should be. High blood pressure can damage
your heart and lead to heart disease, stroke, or kidney
disease.
 There are no symptoms with high blood pressure,
which is why it’s often called “the silent killer.”

Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Disease

Atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the
arteries, occurs when plaque builds up on the walls
of your arteries and eventually blocks blood flow.
Plaque is made of cholesterol, fat, and calcium.
 Coronary Artery Disease indicates that the plaque
buildup in your arteries has caused the arteries to
narrow and harden. Blood clots can further block
the arteries.
 Coronary artery disease develops over time. You
can have it but not be aware of any symptoms.
Other times, it may cause chest pain or the
sensation of heaviness in the chest.

Heart Attcks
Heart attack occurs when not enough blood reaches
your heart.
 This can happen due to artery blockage. Heart
attacks damage the heart muscle and are
medical emergencies.
 The symptoms are: (and call 911 or someone
else if you’re having experiencing these
symptoms)
1. pain in the center or left side of the chest that
feels like mild or severe discomfort, pressure,
fullness, or squeezing
2. pain that radiates from the jaw, shoulder, arm,
or across the back
3. shortness of breath
4. sweating
5. nausea
6. irregular heartbeat
7. unconsciousness
Heart Failure
Chronic progressive condition that affects the
pumping power of your heart muscles
Also known as congestive heart failure, heart failure
occurs when the heart muscle is weakened or damaged. It
can no longer pump the volume of blood needed through
the body.
 Heart failure normally occurs when you’ve had
other heart problems, such as a heart attack or
coronary artery disease.
 Early symptoms of heart failure include fatigue,
swelling in your ankles, and increased need to
urinate at night. More severe symptoms include
rapid breathing, chest pain, and fainting.

Strokes
Strokes often occur when a blood clot blocks an
artery in the brain and reduces the blood supply.
 A stroke requires immediate medical
attention. You can identify a stroke with a
FAST test:
How can we avoid it?
We can avoid those diseases through a healthy lifestyle.
STAY AWAY from Bad habits, unhealthy lifestyles and any
habits that could harm your body. Have mercy!
You can avoid those diseases by not having Bad habits
like smoking because your lung is suffering and you’ll
regret it. The smoke from the cigarette may cause asthma,
lung cancer and TB. The chemicals in beers such as
alcohol could hurt your liver.
1. Always have a regular exercise
2. Eat Healthy food and drinks especially water
3. Don’t expose too much to pollution. If can’t avoid,
wear mask
4. Wash your Hands
5. Consult to a doctor if you feel something wrong.

IMPORTANT TIPS
Here’s an important tip.

Always DRINK WATER, WASH YOUR

HANDS and KEEP YOUR IMMUNE
SYSTEM STRONG and KEEP YOUR
BODY HEALTHY.
STAY SAFE EVERYONE!

Sources of information and Pictures: (some of the

links are already been typed)
https://www.healthline.com/health/circulatory-system-
diseases
https://www.pinterest.ph

Prepared by Raiah Jynelle P. Guerra