NUR1 311 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Photophobia, Asthma, Pertussis
16 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Sinuses are air-filled, hollow cavities where things can accumulate, as they often share fluids with the nasal cavity. Fluids can also move up the pharynx into the ear and cause otitis media. Viruses live in cells, and require host cells to live. They cause many respiratory tract infections (rtis) because they invade, inflame, and cause infection. The lacrimal apparatus is our innate immunity and first line of defense tears are the defense mechanism. The same ideas are true for conjunctivitis. Tears are usually defense mechanisms, but blockages can cause things to flow into the nose via the nasolacrimal duct. The main portals of entry for rtis (defined as all the cold viruses causing runny nose and cough) are the eyes and nose. The mouth has a lot of saliva, and not all viruses can survive there. Organisms can then move into the alveoli, where they cause inflammation and fluid-up, the result of which is pneumonia.
