Pathology and

Aetiology
 “OVIDIUS” UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANŢA
FACULTY OF PHARMACY
CURRICULUM: PHARMACY

Respiratory system disorders:

asthma, pneumonia, emphysema
STUDENTS:
SCIENTIFIC COORDINATOR: MACOVEI DANIELA

DANIEL CLINCI GRECU ALEXANDRA

CONSTANTA 2021
 ASTHMA
•
IS A CHRONIC LONG-TERM
INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE
AIRWAYS OF THE LUNGS.ALSO IS A
CONDITION IN WHICH YOUR
AIRWAYS NARROW AND SWELL AND
MAY PRODUCE EXTRA MUCUS. 
CAUSES

• GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL

FACTORS LIKE :CIGARETTE SMOKE,
DIFFERENT MICROBES IN THE
ENVIRONMENT, CHEMICAL
IRRITANTS OR INDUSTRIAL DUSTS,
POOR AIR QUALITY FROM
POLLUTION OR ALLERGENS .
 A ST H M A
TRIGGERS
 CLINICAL MANIFESTATION :

• WHEEZING
• COUGHING
• CHEST TIGHTNESS,
• SHORTNESS OF BREATH
 D I A G N O SIS
T E R S A R E U S E D TO
PEAK FLOW ME
E A K E X PI RA T O R Y
MEASURE THE P
A TE, I M PO R TA N T IN
FLOW R
IN G A ND D IA G N O S I NG
MONITOR
ASTHMA.
 TREATMENT:
• THERE'S CURRENTLY NO CURE FOR ASTHMA, BUT TREATMENT CAN HELP
CONTROL THE SYMPTOMS SO YOU'RE ABLE TO LIVE A NORMAL, ACTIVE LIFE.

• INHALERS, WHICH ARE DEVICES THAT LET YOU BREATHE. INHALERS CAN
HELP:

RELIEVE SYMPTOMS WHEN THEY OCCUR (RELIEVER INHALERS)

STOP SYMPTOMS DEVELOPING (PREVENTER INHALERS)
• TABLETS:
LEUKOTRIENE RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS (LTRAS); THEOPHYLLINE; STEROID
TABLETS;

• OTHER TREATMENTS MAY ALSO BE NEEDED IF YOUR ASTHMA IS SEVERE.

 PROGNOSIS :
IN 2019 ASTHMA AFFECTED APPROXIMATELY
262 MILLION PEOPLE AND CAUSED
APPROXIMATELY 500,000 DEATHS
ASTHMA AFFECTS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, BUT
IT OFTEN STARTS DURING CHILDHOOD.
SOMETIMES ASTHMA DEVELOPS IN ADULTS,
PARTICULARLY WOMEN.
 EMPHYSEMA

• EMPHYSEMA IS A TYPE OF COPD (CHRONIC

OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE).

• IN EMPHYSEMA, THE WALLS BETWEEN

MANY OF THE AIR SACS IN THE LUNGS ARE
DAMAGED. THIS CAUSES THE AIR SACS TO
LOSE THEIR SHAPE AND BECOME FLOPPY.

• IT DEVELOPS OVER TIME AND INVOLVES

THE GRADUAL DAMAGE OF LUNG TISSUE,
SPECIFICALLY THE DESTRUCTION OF THE
ALVEOLI
 SYMPTOMS
BBG

 SHORTNESS OF BREATH,
EMPHYSEMA EVENTUALLY CAUSES
SHORTNESS OF BREATH EVEN
WHILE YOU'RE AT REST.

LIPS OR FINGERNAILS TURN BLUE CAUSES

OR GRAY WITH EXERTION

WHEEZING THE MAIN CAUSE OF EMPHYSEMA IS LONG-TERM

EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE IRRITANTS, INCLUDING:
HIPERINFLATION  TOBACCO SMOKE
 MARIJUANA SMOKE
 EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE (INHALE
SMOKE FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S CIGARETTE)

 AIR POLLUTION
 CHEMICAL FUMES AND DUST
DIAGNOSIS
LUNG FUNCTION TESTS
LUNG FUNCTION TESTS MEASURE THE LUNGS’
CAPACITY TO EXCHANGE RESPIRATORY GASES. THEY
CAN:

• CONFIRM A DIAGNOSIS OF EMPHYSEMA

• MONITOR DISEASE PROGRESSION
• ASSESS RESPONSE TO TREATMENT
FOR THIS TEST, A PERSON BLOWS AS FAST AND HARD
AS THEY CAN INTO A TUBE. THE TUBE IS ATTACHED
TO A MACHINE THAT MEASURES THE VOLUME AND
SPEED OF THE AIR THAT THEY BLOW OUT.
OTHER TESTS
OTHER TESTS INCLUDE IMAGING, SUCH AS A CHEST
X-RAY OR CT SCAN OF THE LUNGS, AND ARTERIAL
BLOOD GAS ANALYSIS, TO ASSESS OXYGEN
EXCHANGE AND CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS.
TREATMENT
• OXYGEN THERAPY, TO RELIEVE
WORSENING SYMPTOMS

• ANTIBIOTICS, TO TREAT A BACTERIAL

INFECTION

• CORTICOSTEROID DRUGS, TO REDUCE

INFLAMMATION

• OTHER MEDICATIONS, TO RELIEVE

SEVERE COUGHING AND PAIN
 PROGNOSIS
• EVERYONE’S OUTLOOK DEPENDS ON
THE SEVERITY OF THEIR STAGE,
TREATMENT, AND WHAT STEPS THEY
TAKE TO MANAGE THEIR CONDITION.

• PEOPLE WHO STOP SMOKING AND TAKE

STEPS TO PROTECT THEIR LUNGS FROM
FURTHER DAMAGE USUALLY HAVE A
LONGER LIFE EXPECTANCY.
PNEUMONIA
• PNEUMONIA IS A FORM OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY
INFECTION THAT AFFECTS THE LUNGS.
• THE LUNGS ARE MADE UP OF SMALL SACS
CALLED ALVEOLI, WHICH FILL WITH AIR WHEN
A HEALTHY PERSON BREATHES.
• WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL HAS PNEUMONIA, THE
ALVEOLI ARE FILLED WITH PUS AND FLUID,
WHICH MAKES BREATHING PAINFUL AND
LIMITS OXYGEN INTAKE.
• PNEUMONIA FILLS THE LUNG'S ALVEOLI WITH
FLUID, HINDERING OXYGENATION. THE
ALVEOLUS ON THE LEFT IS NORMAL, WHEREAS
THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS FULL OF FLUID FROM
PNEUMONIA.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
 DIAGNOSIS
• PHYSICAL EXAM
• PHYSICAL EXAMINATION MAY SOMETIMES REVEAL 
• LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
•  HIGH HEART RATE
• LOW OXYGEN SATURATION.
• THE RESPIRATORY RATE MAY BE FASTER THAN
NORMAL, AND THIS MAY OCCUR A DAY OR TWO
BEFORE OTHER SIGNS. 
• HARSH BREATH SOUNDS FROM THE LARGER AIRWAYS
THAT ARE TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE INFLAMED
LUNG ARE TERMED BRONCHIAL BREATHING AND ARE
HEARD ON AUSCULTATION WITH A STETHOSCOPE. 
• CRACKLES  MAY BE HEARD OVER THE AFFECTED
AREA DURING INSPIRATION. 
IMAGING
• X-RAY PRESENTATIONS OF PNEUMONIA
MAY BE CLASSIFIED AS LOBAR
PNEUMONIA, BRONCHOPNEUMONIA, LOB
ULAR PNEUMONIA, AND INTERSTITIAL
PNEUMONIA.

• A CT SCAN CAN GIVE ADDITIONAL

INFORMATION IN INDETERMINATE CASES

• LUNG ULTRASOUND
MICROBIOLOGY
• SPUTUM CULTURE
• BLOOD CULTURE AND PLEURAL
FLUID CULTURE

• TESTING THE URINE

FOR ANTIGENS TO LEGIONELLA AND STRE
PTOCOCCUS

• PCR TECHNIQUES ON BRONCHOALVEOLAR

LAVAGE AND NASOPHARYNGEAL SWAB.
 TREATMENT
• FOR BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA-
ANTIBIOTICS : AMOXICILLIN
DOXYCYCLINE OR CLARITHROMYCIN

• FOR VIRAL PNEUMONIA-

NEURAMINIDASE INHIBITORS:
RIMANTADINE OR AMANTADINE,

• FOR  ASPIRATION PNEUMONITIS-

 BETA-LACTAM ANTIBIOTIC AND METRONIDAZOLE, OR
AN AMINOGLYCOSIDE
PROGNOSIS
• WITH TREATMENT, MOST TYPES OF BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA WILL STABILIZE IN 3–6 DAYS. 
• X-RAY FINDINGS TYPICALLY CLEAR WITHIN FOUR WEEKS AND MORTALITY IS LOW (LESS THAN
1%).

• IN THE ELDERLY OR PEOPLE WITH OTHER LUNG PROBLEMS, RECOVERY MAY TAKE MORE THAN
12 WEEKS.

• IN PERSONS REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION, MORTALITY MAY BE AS HIGH AS 10%, AND IN THOSE

REQUIRING INTENSIVE CARE IT MAY REACH 30–50%.

• COMPLICATIONS MAY OCCUR IN PARTICULAR IN THE ELDERLY AND THOSE WITH UNDERLYING
HEALTH PROBLEMS. THIS MAY INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS: EMPYEMA, LUNG
ABSCESS, BRONCHIOLITIS OBLITERANS, ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME, SEPSIS, AND
WORSENING OF UNDERLYING HEALTH PROBLEMS.