Men's Health – Respiratory Diseases. Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay

Men's Health – Respiratory Diseases
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Men's Health - Respiratory Diseases
Introduction
The human body comprises of well-coordinated systems, each tasked with an important function necessary for the normal functioning of the body. The skeletal system, digestive system, respiratory system, reproductive system, nervous system, and circulatory system are a few of the systems that make up the human body (Wakim & Grewal, 2020). At the core of these systems are organs that are vital to existence. In any case, failure of human body organs such as the heart, lungs, brain, kidney, and liver can mean death. Despite the delicacy of these human organs, it is shocking how humans fail to take good care of their bodies. The awareness of the risk factors to the different organs is well propagated, and anybody abusing the organs is simply being ignorant and reckless. Although some complications with these organs occur naturally, most of the damages are out of human recklessness and disregard for health guidelines. Most respiratory illnesses have been linked with utter recklessness and unhealthy living choices and thus call for extensive awareness, or else, people will continue to lose their lives to diseases that would have otherwise be avoided. Also, respiratory illnesses have a distinct variation with gender, with the male gender occupying the largest portion of the statistics.
Causes and Risk Factors
The respiratory system is composed of several organs other than the lungs: nose, mouth, throat, sinuses, trachea, and the respiratory illnesses vary depending on the system organ that is affected. The Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) affect the respiratory organs on the upper part of the body other than the lungs. The most common causative agents for the URTI are bacteria and viruses that attack the inner lining of the respiratory tract. A successful invasion by these pathogens has to overcome the physical protective mechanism at the upper respiratory tract and also the body's immune system. The ability of the pathogens causing infection to adapt and produce toxins that impair the body's defense mechanism makes it difficult for the body to overcome the invasion naturally. The most common URTIs include the common cold and flu, and the symptoms may include running nose, coughing, sore throat, sneezing, nasal congestion, among others. The risk factors for URTIs may include close contact with an infected person, poor hygiene, especially after coming into contact with an infected person, smoking, or being in an immunocompromised state. Although most URTIs might be mild and less harmful, seeking medical attention might be necessary when symptoms lead to dehydration, shortness of breath, and in the worst-case scenario, cause long-term complication.
The lower respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI) invades the airways below the larynx and the lung. Symptoms and causative agents are often similar to those of the URTIs. Other LRTIs may be a result of fungal or mycoplasma infection, environmental factors such as dust, exposure to chemical substances fumes and vapor, allergies, and tobacco smoking. The risk factors may include old or extreme young age, week immune system, recent exposure to cold, and flu...