What causes Curschmann spirals?
Probably they develop due to an imbalance of sulfated and non-sulfated sialomucins in the mucus, which leads to an increase of the viscosity. Curschmann’s spirals are mostly found in patients suffering from asthma and chronic bronchitis, often in association with Charcot-Leyden crystals.
What is the part of the respiratory system that is spiral shaped?
The hard palate lines the floor of the nasal cavity. The lateral walls are spiral shaped mucosal folds that overlie the turbinates and sinus ducts draining into the ostia. The spiral shape of the turbinates is designed to increase the surface area for the inspired air.
What are crystals and spirals in the sputum?
Curschmann’s spirals are a microscopic finding in the sputum of asthmatics. They are spiral-shaped mucus plugs from subepithelial mucous gland ducts of bronchi. They may occur in several different lung diseases. and may refer to parts of the desquamated epithelium seen in lavages from asthmatic patients.
What causes Charcot-Leyden crystals?
Charcot-Leyden crystals are formed from the breakdown of eosinophils and may be seen in the stool or sputum of patients with parasitic diseases. The crystals are slender and pointed and stain purplish-red in the trichrome stain, as shown in this image.
What is the function of pharynx in respiratory system?
The pharynx, commonly called the throat, is a passageway that extends from the base of the skull to the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. It serves both the respiratory and digestive systems by receiving air from the nasal cavity and air, food, and water from the oral cavity.
What is the difference between the conducting zone and the respiratory zone of the respiratory system?
While the conducting zone moves air into and out of the lungs, the respiratory zone moves oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of the blood. This process is referred to as respiration or gas exchange. The gases exchanged, oxygen and carbon dioxide, are referred to as respiratory gases.
What is the Charcot-Leyden crystals?
Charcot Leyden crystals are hexagonal bipyramidal structures localised in the primary granules of the cytoplasm of eosinophils and basophils. Their presence, along with eosinophilic infiltrate, is an indirect evidence of parasitic infestation particularly with Toxocara, Capilliriasis, Ascariasis, or Fasciola.
What are Charcot-Leyden crystals indicative of during parasitic infection?
They are indicative of a disease involving eosinophilic inflammation or proliferation, such as is found in allergic reactions (asthma, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis) and parasitic infections such as Entamoeba histolytica, Necator americanus, and Ancylostoma duodenale.
What is the conductive zone?
The conducting zone includes structures outside of the lungs – the nose, pharynx, larynx, and trachea, and structures inside the lungs – the bronchi, bronchioles, and terminal bronchioles. The conduction zone conducts air breathed in that is filtered, warmed, and moistened, into the lungs.