Lungs

The human lungs are anatomical structures

belonging to the respiratory system, they are
located in the thoracic cavity, on both sides of the
mediastinum. Due to the space occupied by the
heart, the right lung is larger than its lef
counterpart. They have three faces; mediastinal,
costal and diaphragmatic, it is supplied by the
bronchial arteries and the pulmonary arteries
carry blood for oxygenation. Embryologically
derives from the endoderm.

The lungs are the organs in which the blood receives oxygen from the air and is released from
carbon dioxide, which passes into the air. This exchange is produced by simple diffusion of the
gases thanks to the difference of partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the
blood and the alveoli.

Anatomy and characteristics

The lungs are located inside the thorax on both sides of the heart, protected by the ribs and
separated from one another by the mediastinum. They are covered by a double membrane called
the pleura, between which a cavity (pleural cavity) is formed, which is occupied by a thin sheet of
serous fluid.

The surface of the lungs is pink in children and somewhat more gray in adults. The weight depends
on the sex and the hemithorax they occupy: The right lung weighs on average 600 grams and the
lef 500 g. These figures are somewhat lower in the case of women, due to the smaller size of the
rib cage, and somewhat higher in the male.1 A vertex or apex corresponding to its uppermost part
and a base or base are described in both lungs. lower portion that rests on the diaphragm muscle.
The right lung is divided into 3 lobes by two fissures, while the lef has only 2 lobes, upper and
lower, separated by a fissure.

Crystals and lobes

The right lung is divided by two fissures (horizontal and oblique) in 3 parts or lobes (upper, middle
and lower). The lef lung has two lobes (upper and lower) separated by a fissure (oblique). This is
because the heart has an oblique inclination to the lef and back to front; "nailing" the inferior tip
(the apex) in the lef lung, reducing its volume and removing space to said lung.

Function
The main function of the lungs is to carry out the gas exchange with the blood. In the alveoli there
is the passage of oxygen from the air to the blood and the passage of carbon dioxide from the
blood into the air.

Other functions of the lung

External filter action. The lungs counteract air pollution to which they are exposed by the
mucociliary and phagocytic system of alveolar macrophages. The production of mucus by the cells
of the bronchial seromucosal glands and by the goblet cells of the bronchial epithelium helps to
trap foreign particles and prevent their passage to the alveoli.

Anti-protease system mainly α1-antitrypsin that occurs in the alveoli before inflammatory
elements of the alveolar immune system. The main proteases in the lung are elastase, collagenase,
hyaluronidase and trypsin.
Metabolic actions: Hormonal involvement of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
Elimination of drugs
Acid-base balance
Lipid metabolism by action of pulmonary surfactante

Diseases of the lung

Lung diseases can be congenital (present from birth) or develop throughout life. Some of the most
frequent are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, caused mainly by the inhalation of
tobacco smoke, bronchial asthma frequently caused by allergy to pollen or other substances,
pneumonia and bronchopneumonia due to the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria or viruses. in
lung alveoli, lung cancer is also very related to smoking and pulmonary tuberculosis, very common
in certain countries and traditionally associated with malnutrition, poverty, overcrowding and poor
living conditions. Below is an incomplete list of some lung diseases