What is the lung?
The lung is the organ of the body in which oxygen is absorbed into the blood from the air we breathe and carbon dioxide is released from the blood into the air. It consists of two wings of unequal size, the left of which is slightly smaller to allow room for the heart.
The two lungs are connected by the two main bronchi to the trachea, through which the air breathed enters the lungs after passing through the mouth, nose and throat.
The lungs are covered by a thin, smooth and moist layer of tissue called the pleura. The inside of the rib cage is also lined with such a thin layer, called pleura. Together, the pleura and pleura are called the pleura. Between them – in the so-called pleural space – there is a thin film of fluid. It ensures that the lungs and rib cage move against each other when breathing, but cannot completely separate from each other (like two wet sheets of glass placed against each other – these also “stick” to each other).
What is the function of the lungs?
The inhaled air enters the two main bronchi via the trachea, each leading to one of the two lungs. There they branch out further into the bronchi and bronchioles. In the bronchi, the air is not only distributed further – foreign bodies and pathogens are also intercepted here: These stick to a tough mucus produced by the mucous membrane of the bronchi.
At the end of the many bronchioles are approximately 300 million tiny, air-filled vesicles (alveoli), in whose delicate walls countless fine blood vessels (capillaries) run. The actual gas exchange takes place in the alveoli: Oxygen from the air we breathe passes into the blood, and carbon dioxide from the blood goes back into the air in the alveoli and is then exhaled with it.
Inhalation and exhalation
Active muscle work is required for inhalation: The diaphragm and intercostal muscles in particular come into action, but also the chest and back muscles. They cause the rib cage to expand, which passively unfolds the lungs (which cannot detach from the rib cage). The resulting negative pressure draws in the breathing air.
Breathing rate and volume
When we are at rest, we breathe in and out about ten to 15 times per minute. To breathe in, we need about six to nine liters of air per minute. During physical work or sports, this amount increases enormously – up to 50 to 100 liters per minute.
Where are the lungs located?
The lungs are located in the chest (thorax), which they fill almost completely. Its two wings have the shape of a cone, the tip of which is located directly under the respective collarbone. The broad concave base rests on the diaphragm.
What problems can the lungs cause?
Health problems of the respiratory organ usually affect breathing and manifest as shortness of breath (dyspnea). Important examples include pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and pneumothorax (collapse of a lung due to abnormal accumulation of air in the chest). One of the most common cancers in humans affects the lungs: lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and the third most common cause in women.
