Goblet cells secrete a protective lubricating mucous to help trap dust and bacteria

so it can be transported by your mucosal linings via villi organelles in your sinuses
outside your body.
Your goblet cells make mucus make about one quart of mucus per day.

Pathophysiology

The invading organism causes symptoms, in part, by provoking an overly exuberant immune
response in the lungs. The small blood vessels in the lungs (capillaries) become leaky, and
protein-rich fluid seeps into the alveoli. This results in a less functional area for oxygen-carbon
dioxide exchange. The patient becomes relatively oxygen deprived, while retaining potentially
damaging carbon dioxide. The patient breathes faster and faster, in an effort to bring in more
oxygen and blow off more carbon dioxide.

Mucus production is increased, and the leaky capillaries may tinge the mucus with blood. Mucus
plugs actually further decrease the efficiency of gas exchange in the lung. The alveoli fill further
with fluid and debris from the large number of white blood cells being produced to fight the
infection.

Consolidation, a feature of bacterial pneumonias, occurs when the alveoli, which are normally
hollow air spaces within the lung, instead become solid, due to quantities of fluid and debris.

Viral pneumonias, and mycoplasma pneumonias, do not result in consolidation. These types of
pneumonia primarily infect the walls of the alveoli and the parenchyma of the lung.

Pathophysiology Of Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of lungs in which the lung tissue of an infected person is filled with fluid or pus. People
suffering from this condition tend to experience some symptoms and these include rapid breathing, fever, chills,
chest and abdominal pain, presence of brown, yellow or green colored mucous and cough. To understand this
condition the pathophysiology of pneumonia needs to be understood.

This condition may be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and other parasites and in this infection afflicting the lungs
the lungs may get inflamed. Where a person suffers from lung injury due to chemical irritants or physical factors the
condition may be referred to as pneumonitis and this can be differentiated from the condition of infectious
pneumonia. In understanding the pathophysiology of pneumonia it can be understood that this condition affects
individuals of all ages.

The incidence of pneumonia is however higher among young children and elderly individuals along with those
individuals who have a compromised immune system. The pathophysiology of pneumonia indicates that the
development of this condition depends of number of factors like the presence of pathogens along with the state of a
person’s immune system and some other factors.

The organism invading the immune system causes the symptoms in this condition as it provokes the immune system
to respond. As a result of the invading organisms the blood vessels within the lungs leak and this causes the protein
rich fluid to seep into alveoli. This results in less area for exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. As the patient is
deprived of oxygen the breathing becomes faster so as to bring more oxygen and release the carbon dioxide.
The pathophysiology of pneumonia indicates that the mucous production increases and the leaking of the capillaries
may cause the mucous to get a tinge of blood. Mucous further decreases the gas exchange within the lung. Fluid
continues to fill in the alveoli and the debris resulting from the white blood cells fighting the infection also fill the
alveoli.

Alveoli are actually air spaces that are hollow however these tend to become solid because of the debris and fluid
collection. This is called consolidation and is a classical feature seen in bacterial pneumonia cases. In mycoplasma
pneumonia cases along with viral pneumonia the alveoli walls are infected and consolidation does not occur in these
cases.

(pneumonia). These infections cause a buildup of mucus and/or fluid that

narrows the airways and limits airflow in and out of your lungs.

What Are the Lungs?

Your lungs are organs in your chest that allow your body to take in oxygen from the air.
They also help remove carbon dioxide (a waste gas that can be toxic) from your body.

The lungs' intake of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide is called gas exchange. Gas
exchange is part of breathing. Breathing is a vital function of life; it helps your body work
properly.

Other organs and tissues also help make breathing possible. (For more information, go to
"The Respiratory System" section of this article.)

The Respiratory System

The respiratory system is a group of organs and tissues that help you breathe. The main parts
of this system are the airways, the lungs and linked blood vessels, and the muscles that
enable breathing.

The Respiratory System

Figure A shows the location of the respiratory structures in the body. Figure B is an enlarged
view of the airways, alveoli (air sacs), and capillaries (tiny blood vessels). Figure C shows
the location of gas exchange between the capillaries and alveoli. CO2 is carbon dioxide, and
O2 is oxygen.

Airways

The airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to your lungs and carbon dioxide, a waste
gas, out of your lungs. The airways include your:

• Nose and linked air passages (called nasal cavities)

• Mouth
• Larynx (LAR-ingks), or voice box
• Trachea (TRA-ke-ah), or windpipe
• Tubes called bronchial tubes or bronchi, and their branches

Air first enters your body through your nose or mouth, which wets and warms the air. (Cold,
dry air can irritate your lungs.) The air then travels through your voice box and down your
windpipe. The windpipe splits into two bronchial tubes that enter your lungs.

A thin flap of tissue called the epiglottis (ep-i-GLOT-is) covers your windpipe when you
swallow. This prevents food or drink from entering the air passages that lead to your lungs.

Except for the mouth and some parts of the nose, all of the airways have special hairs called
cilia (SIL-e-ah) that are coated with sticky mucus. The cilia trap germs and other foreign
particles that enter your airways when you breathe in air.

These fine hairs then sweep the particles up to the nose or mouth. From there, they're
swallowed, coughed, or sneezed out of the body. Nose hairs and mouth saliva also trap
particles and germs.

Lungs and Blood Vessels

Your lungs and linked blood vessels deliver oxygen to your body and remove carbon
dioxide from your body. Your lungs lie on either side of your breastbone and fill the inside
of your chest cavity. Your left lung is slightly smaller than your right lung to allow room for
your heart.

Within the lungs, your bronchi branch into thousands of smaller, thinner tubes called
bronchioles. These tubes end in bunches of tiny round air sacs called alveoli (al-VEE-uhl-
eye).

Each of these air sacs is covered in a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The
capillaries connect to a network of arteries and veins that move blood through your body.

The pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) artery and its branches deliver blood rich in carbon dioxide
(and lacking in oxygen) to the capillaries that surround the air sacs. Inside the air sacs,
carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the air. At the same time, oxygen moves from the
air into the blood in the capillaries.

The oxygen-rich blood then travels to the heart through the pulmonary vein and its branches.
The heart pumps the oxygen-rich blood out to the body. (For more information about blood
flow, go to the Diseases and Conditions Index How the Heart Works article.)

The lungs are divided into five main sections called lobes. Some people need to have a
diseased lung lobe removed. However, they can still breathe well using the rest of their lung
lobes.

Muscles Used for Breathing

Muscles near the lungs help expand and contract (tighten) the lungs to allow breathing.
These muscles include the:

• Diaphragm (DI-a-fram)
• Intercostal muscles
• Abdominal muscles
• Muscles in the neck and collarbone area

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located below your lungs. It separates the chest
cavity from the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm is the main muscle used for breathing.

The intercostal muscles are located between your ribs. They also play a major role in helping
you breathe.

Beneath your diaphragm are abdominal muscles. They help you breathe out when you're
breathing fast (for example, during physical activity).

Muscles in your neck and collarbone area help you breathe in when other muscles involved
in breathing don't work well, or when lung disease impairs your breathing.

What Happens When You Breathe?

Breathing In (Inhalation)

When you breathe in, or inhale, your diaphragm contracts (tightens) and moves downward.
This increases the space in your chest cavity, into which your lungs expand. The intercostal
muscles between your ribs also help enlarge the chest cavity. They contract to pull your rib
cage both upward and outward when you inhale.

As your lungs expand, air is sucked in through your nose or mouth. The air travels down
your windpipe and into your lungs. After passing through your bronchial tubes, the air
finally reaches and enters the alveoli (air sacs).

Through the very thin walls of the alveoli, oxygen from the air passes to the surrounding
capillaries (blood vessels). A red blood cell protein called hemoglobin (HEE-muh-glow-bin)
helps move oxygen from the air sacs to the blood.

At the same time, carbon dioxide moves from the capillaries into the air sacs. The gas has
traveled in the bloodstream from the right side of the heart through the pulmonary artery.

Oxygen-rich blood from the lungs is carried through a network of capillaries to the
pulmonary vein. This vein delivers the oxygen-rich blood to the left side of the heart. The
left side of the heart pumps the blood to the rest of the body. There, the oxygen in the blood
moves from blood vessels into surrounding tissues.

(For more information on blood flow, go to the Diseases and Conditions Index How the
Heart Works article.)

Breathing Out (Exhalation)

When you breathe out, or exhale, your diaphragm relaxes and moves upward into the chest
cavity. The intercostal muscles between the ribs also relax to reduce the space in the chest
cavity.
As the space in the chest cavity gets smaller, air rich in carbon dioxide is forced out of your
lungs and windpipe, and then out of your nose or mouth.

Breathing out requires no effort from your body unless you have a lung disease or are doing
physical activity. When you're physically active, your abdominal muscles contract and push
your diaphragm against your lungs even more than usual. This rapidly pushes out the air in
your lungs.

The animation below shows how the lungs work. Click the "start" button to play the
animation. Written and spoken explanations are provided with each frame. Use the buttons
in the lower right corner to pause, restart, or replay the animation, or use the scroll bar below
the buttons to move through the frames

Consolidation is a clinical term for solidification into a firm, dense mass. It is more specifically
used in reference to a region of lung tissue that, normally compressible, has filled with liquid,[1] a
condition marked by induration[2] (swelling or hardening of normally soft tissue) of a normally
aerated lung. Consolidation occurs through accumulation of inflammatory cellular exudate in the
alveoli and adjoining ducts. Simply, it is defined as alveolar space that contains liquid instead of
gas. The fluid can be pulmonary edema, inflammatory exudate, pus, inhaled water, or blood
(from bronchial tree or haemorrhage from a pulmonary artery). It is clinically important in
pneumonia: the signs of lobar pneumonia are characteristic and clinically referred to as
consolidation.[3]
Pneumonia as seen on chest x-ray. A: Normal chest x-ray. B: Abnormal chest x-
ray with consolidation from pneumonia in the right lung, middle or inferior lobe
(white area, left side of image).

Signs that consolidation may have occurred include:

• Expansion of the thorax on inspiration is reduced on the affected side

• Vocal fremitus is increased on the side with consolidation
• Percussion is dull in affected area
• Breath sounds are bronchial
• Possible medium, late, or pan-inspiratory crackles
• Vocal resonance is increased. Vocal resonance testing can be done with a stethoscope.
Here, the patient's voice (or whisper, as in whispered pectoriloquy) can be heard more
 clearly when there is consolidation, as opposed to in the healthy lung where speech
sounds muffled.
• A pleural rub may be present[4]
• Consolidated tissue is radio-opaque, so that it is clearly demonstrable in X-rays and CT
(computerized tomography) scans. Consolidation is often a middle-to-late stage
feature/complication in pulmonary infections.