RESPIRATORY DISEASE

any of the diseases and disorders that affect human respiration. Diseases of the respiratory system may affect any of the structures and organs that have to do with breathingthe nasal cavities, the throat (pharynx), the larynx, the windpipe (trachea), the airways (bronchi), and the lung tissue. In addition, respiration is dependent on normal functioning of the muscles in the chest wall and the diaphragm, which may also be affected by disease. The respiratory tract is the site of an exceptionally large range of disorders for three main reasons: first, it is exposed to the environment and therefore may be affected by dust or gases in the air; second, it possesses a large network of capillaries through which the entire output of the heart has to pass, which means that diseases that affect the small blood vessels are likely to affect the lung; and third, it may be the site of sensitivity or allergic phenomena that may profoundly affect function. Additional reading The human respiratory system is described in David V. Bates, Peter T. Macklem, and Ronald V. Christie, Respiratory Function in Disease: An Introduction to the Integrated Study of the Lung, 2nd ed. (1971), a detailed text on impairment of lung function caused by disease; and Robert G. Fraser et al., Diagnosis of Diseases of the Chest, 2nd ed., 4 vol. (197779), with vol. 1 also available in a 3rd ed. (1988). H. Corwin Hinshaw and John F. Murray, Diseases of the Chest, 4th ed. (1980), is a general textbook covering diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases; see also J.G. Scadding and Gordon Cumming (eds.), Scientific Foundations of Respiratory Medicine (1981). Steven E. Weinberger, Principles of Pulmonary Medicine (1986), is an introductory text in which respiratory pathophysiology is considered from the clinical vantage. Comprehensive texts include Gordon Cumming and Stephen J. Semple, Disorders of the Respiratory System, 2nd ed. (1980); John Crofton and Andrew Douglas, Respiratory Diseases, 3rd ed. (1981); and Ian R. Cameron and Nigel T. Bateman, Respiratory Disorders (1983). Alfred P. Fishman (ed.), Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 2nd ed., 3 vol. (1988), provides a comprehensive overview of pathophysiology as related to clinical syndromes. See also John F. Murray and Jay A. Nadel (eds.), Textbook of Respiratory Medicine (1988); and William M. Thurlbeck (ed.), Pathology of the Lung (1988). David V. Bates Alfred P. Fishman