ALVEOLI

The word Alveoli or alveolus (singular form) comes from the Latin
word ‘’Little Cavity’’. The Alveoli are the tiny air sacs at the end of the
bronchioles (tiny branches of air tubes in the lungs). The alveoli are
where the lungs and the blood exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide
while breathing in and out. And combined our two lungs contain
upwards of 400 million of these tiny air sacs.

So how do the alveoli work?

The Alveoli pick up the incoming energy (oxygen) you breathe in and
release the outgoing waste product (carbon dioxide) you exhale. As it
moves through the blood vessels (capillaries) in the alveoli walls, your
blood takes the oxygen from the alveoli and gives off carbon dioxide
to the alveoli.
There are three overall processes involved in your breathing:
 Moving air in and out of your lungs (ventilation)
 Oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange (diffusion)
 Pumping blood through your lungs (perfusion)
Although Alveoli are tiny, they are the center of your respiratory
system’s gas exchange.

Impacts to Alveoli
This seemingly perfect machine for breathing can break down or
become less efficient because of:
 Disease
 Normal Aging
  Smoking and air pollution
Tobacco smoke
- irritates your bronchioles and alveoli and damages the lining of
your lungs
Pollution
- Indoor pollution from secondhand smoke, mold, dust and
household chemicals can damage your lungs and worsen existing
lung disease
Disease
 Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis – the walls surrounding the Alveoli
become scarred and thickened.
 Lung Cancer – cancer can start in your alveoli
 Pneumonia – the alveoli fill with fluid, limiting oxygen intake
Aging
- The normal aging process can slow down your respiratory
system. You may notice that your lung capacity is lessened, or
that your chest muscles are weaker. Older people also tend to
be more at risk for pneumonia, both bacterial.