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Inhalation of these pathogens affects the respiratory system and can then spread to the rest of the body. Sinus congestion, coughing and sore throats are examples of inflammation of the upper respiratory airway. Air pollution plays a significant role in airborne diseases. Pollutants can influence lung function by increasing air way inflammation ...
When the immune system responds to the infection, even more lung damage may occur. [44] Primarily white blood cells, mainly mononuclear cells, generate the inflammation. [60] As well as damaging the lungs, many viruses simultaneously affect other organs and thus disrupt other body functions. Viruses also make the body more susceptible to ...
Bacteria typically enter the lung with inhalation, though they can reach the lung through the bloodstream if other parts of the body are infected. Often, bacteria live in parts of the upper respiratory tract and are continuously being inhaled into the alveoli , the cavities deep in the lungs where gas exchange takes place.
Chest congestion is usually caused by excess mucus in the airways, says Meilan King Han, M.D., M.S., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the ...
An infectious disease agent can be transmitted in two ways: as horizontal disease agent transmission from one individual to another in the same generation (peers in the same age group) [3] by either direct contact (licking, touching, biting), or indirect contact through air – cough or sneeze (vectors or fomites that allow the transmission of the agent causing the disease without physical ...
A routine chest X-ray is not always necessary for people who have symptoms of a lower respiratory tract infection. [4] Influenza affects both the upper and lower respiratory tracts. [citation needed] Antibiotics are the first line treatment for pneumonia; however, they are neither effective nor indicated for parasitic or viral infections. Acute ...
The pneumonic form of plague arises from infection of the lungs. It causes coughing and thereby produces airborne droplets that contain bacterial cells and are likely to infect anyone inhaling them. The incubation period for pneumonic plague is short, usually two to four days, but sometimes just a few hours. The initial signs are ...
“Symptoms haven’t really changed much over time except, as a population, we’ve built more immunity from vaccination and prior infection,” says Thomas Russo, MD, a professor and chief of ...