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cavity which causes the intrapulmonary pressure to slightly rise above the atmospheric pressure.
As such, air is pushed out of the lungs (down its pressure gradient). The resistance in the airways
is usually very minimal. The assumption taken in the argument is that the lungs act as the
container holding the gas. Only a small pressure gradient between the aforementioned pressures
is needed for inspiration and expiration to occur.
Asthma is a long-term disease affecting the lungs which results in the narrowing and
inflammation of an individual’s airways (Douglas and Elward 9-10). For one to understand
asthma, it is important that they first comprehend how the airways and lungs of a human work.
Individuals with asthma have their airways inflamed. As a result, their airways are sensitive and
swollen (Douglas and Elward 10). These airways often react strongly to some substances if
inhaled. During such reactions, the muscles around the airways tighten and thus narrow the
airways limiting the air flowing into the lungs.
The pressure gradient is responsible for airflow. When there is an increase in the airway
resistance in asthma patients, there is a decrease in the amount of air flowing into the lungs. As
such, the volume of the lungs is much smaller than the required causing an increase in the
intrapulmonary pressure within the lungs. This affects the pressure gradient and makes inhalation
and expiration hard for an individual with asthma. The effect is that an individual will make
whizzing sounds as they struggle to breath, encounter shortness of breath, have their chest
tightening and cough repeatedly.
In conclusion, the changes in the atmospheric pressure and intrapulmonary pressure are
responsible for the breathing process. These changes in pressure concur with Boyles Law of the
relationship between the volume and pressure of a gas. For asthma patients, the breathing process
