Breathing and Exchange of Gases Question 39
39. Name the pulmonary disease in which alveolar surface area involved in gas exchange is drastically reduced due to damage in the alveolar walls.
[2015 RS]
(a) Emphysema
(b) Pneumonia
(c) Asthma
(d) Pleurisy
Show Answer
Answer : a
Hints & Solution
(a) In the disease emphysema, alveolar surface area is reduced due to destruction of alveolar walls. Chronic empyema is characterized by thickened visceral and parietal peels which hamper the ability of the affected lung to re-expand and requires definitive surgical intervention, i.e., decortication with or without lung resection and/or pleural obliteration procedures like thoracoplasty and/or myoplasty. The most common cause of empyema is pneumonia caused by a bacterial infection of the lungs. An empyema can form when pneumonia fails to fully respond to treatment in a straightforward way.
