With the rise of the global pandemic, COVID-19, the scientific community’s knowledge and understanding of the respiratory system has grown substantially. The pandemic has forced scientists to experiment and accelerate research on the respiratory system. With older people in the population being the most susceptible, scientists have also focused on the changes in the respiratory system that come with age and how the disease affects the respiratory system with age. The scientific community has also studied COVID-19 directly so that they are able to inform the general public of safety and protocols to reduce the spread. The scientific community has augmented its state of knowledge on the respiratory system, changes to the respiratory system, and COVID-19 in order to better inform the public.
At this point, the scientific community has long understood the functions of each of the components of the respiratory system. Scientists have understood the purpose of the different parts of the respiratory system: mouth/nose, the sinus, the pharynx, the trachea, the bronchioles, and the lungs (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.). The mouth and the nose are openings that allow us to release carbon dioxide and inhale air. The sinuses are to regulate the temperature and the moisture in the air that we breathe. The pharynx and the trachea help to bring the air into the bronchial tubes. The bronchial tubes divide into two lungs and divide the air into two lungs. In the lungs, the air is diffused into the bloodstream and the carbon dioxide from the bloodstream is diffused into the lungs to be exhaled. Scientists have been able to identify the function of the different parts of the respiratory system as well as follow the flow of air into and out of the body. There are other organs that support our breathing such as the diaphragm which helps to push the air out or pull air into the body. The understanding that the scientific community has of the respiratory system is very important especially in the context of the medical community. Being able to identify the function of each of the organs helps medical professionals treat patients. Furthermore, scientists are able to identify and understand some of the many ailments to the respiratory system. Scientists have identified eight of the most common respiratory conditions: asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, and pleural effusion (Unity Point Organization, 2020). By understanding the symptoms and some of the causes, doctors can treat and help patients with the conditions. Understanding what is affected, provides venues for researchers to constantly create and improve drugs that could treat these ailments.
Scientists have long understood that the body changes with age but there are certain aspects that are yet to be uncovered. In regards to the respiratory system, researchers have uncovered some of the changes that cause older patients to be adversely affected with certain diseases. Gulshan Sharma and James Goodwin identify some of the changes that occur with age. In the study, it was found that the lung would be considered mature around the age of 20-25 (Sharma and Goodwin, 2006). Afterward, any changes are degenerative and would be a decline due to age. The parts of the alveoli that are non-functioning grow with age which would mean that older patients would have a poorer oxygen intake into the body. The lungs are less receptive to medicine that may be used to treat younger patients of certain conditions. Older patients have a decreased response to a lack of oxygen and would struggle under conditions where high oxygen volume is necessary. This information would indicate that older patients are more difficult to treat whenever they come in with a respiratory disease because they need different medicine and might already be low in oxygen alongside their respiratory illness. All of this information suggests that medical professionals have to treat and care for older patients in a different way than younger patients. The American Lung Association adds to the understanding of how the respiratory system changes with age: the diaphragm weakens over time and older adults are more susceptible to disease than younger adults (American Lung Association, 2018).
The COVID-19 disease needs to be studied thoroughly in order to understand the long-term effects and the lasting changes to the respiratory system. The scientific and medical community understands that there are many symptoms associated with the contraction of COVID-19 with the most common being fever, persistence, and fatigue (Mayo Clinic, 2021). There are a number of symptoms that are currently being discovered with every passing day but some are more uncommon than others such as chest pain, conjunctivitis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and a rash. Although these are only some of the symptoms, the scientific community is currently researching more on the different symptoms that are associated with COVID-19. Of these symptoms, it is suggested that if there are any irregularities with one’s health, then he or she should reach a doctor because the list of symptoms is not considered all-inclusive and there is still more being uncovered every day. It is known how COVID-19 is spread: through close contact with a person and through particles in the air. It is also clear that those with any pre-existing conditions are more susceptible to getting sick from COVID-19 than others but the link between the different diseases is still currently being studied. There is an understanding within the scientific community that touching one’s face without washing hands increases the risk of spreading COVID-19. It is also understood and recommended when in close quarters with other people indoors to wear face coverings or masks to reduce the risk of COVID-19. However, there is yet to be a treatment that would apply to everyone with COVID-19. The treatments vary person by person and there is research being done to find a universal treatment. Getting vaccinated would help to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 by over twice as much. With the practice of social distancing, it only took 1-4 weeks for there to be signs of declining rates of infection (Thu et al, 2020). In another study, “The role of community-wide wearing of face mask for control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic due to SARS-CoV-2,” it is identified that countries (Hong Kong) that wore masks would have a significantly lower rate of infection rate per million than countries that did not practice mask-wearing. These studies identify that although we do not have one cure that would apply to everyone, there are practices that would significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
During this time of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the research to understand the respiratory system has been expedited. The scientific community has a large but growing understanding of the respiratory system, especially the changes that it undergoes with age. There is still research to be done that elucidates the interactions of COVID-19 and the respiratory system; the scientific community is still unsure about the different effects that COVID-19 may have on the body.
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