Life is just a Bunch of Alveoli…

The definition of alveoli comes from the Latin meaning “little cavity”. A large amount of Alveolialveolus (plural) are contained especially in the lungs. It is within these large organs that an extremely large amount of alveolus can be found. They are clusters that are situated at the ends of our intricate branchlike structures of air passages. Envision a tree contained within the walls of the lung with clusters of grapes hanging off all of the branches. They number about 350 million per lung and they are responsible for gas diffusion. To put their vastness in perspective, they cover about 760 square ft., a space about 40 times the area of our skin. Alveolus can be looked upon as tiny air chambers that are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxideAlveoil children between the lungs and the blood stream. An alveoli is the membrane in which oxygen from the air is allowed to enter the blood. The process in which they inflate and deflate occurs each time we inhale and exhale. Because of their composition it takes more effort to expand them, inhalation, which makes exhaling easier due to their elastic recoil. They are particular only to the lungs of mammals. The membranes of these sacks are so thin they allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass easily Alveoli seal through them. This is referred to as the “gas-blood barrier”.   So numerous, they are able to support the needs of a large animal. Since this exchange has to be done in large quantities and quickly, the number of alveolus makes this task possible. The capillaries in the alveolus push the oxygen depleted blood to an oxygen rich area allowing for the exchange. This is the process in which carbon dioxide rich blood is pumped from the rest of the body where it is released and oxygen is absorbed in its place. If this elastic recoil is compromised breathing can become a problem. They are so delicate that if they are abused by any toxins allowed to enter the Alevoli runnerslungs the walls will break down. They can combine with each other or totally collapse making the grapelike structures larger giving less area for this important exchange to take place. Simple congestion, or inflammation can cause them to swell and limit their effectiveness. Because they are so delicate, white blood cells are constantly on patrol absorbing any foreign particles in their vicinity. Aerobic exercise is a key factor in increasing their strength and durability. The more they are forced to expand the more oxygen rich blood is allowed to enter the system. This in turn can increase both our stamina and endurance.