symptoms of respiratory system disorders

 

Common signs and symptoms of respiratory system disorders, along with basic pathophysiology

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🩺 Signs and Symptoms of Respiratory Disorders with Explanations

Symptom / Sign	Description	Why It Happens (Pathophysiology)
Cough	Sudden expulsion of air to clear airways	Irritation of respiratory mucosa due to infection, inflammation, or foreign particles (activates cough reflex)
Sputum / Expectoration	Mucus or pus coughed up from lower respiratory tract	Infections (e.g., pneumonia, bronchitis) lead to increased mucus production by goblet cells and exudate from alveoli
Hemoptysis	Coughing up blood	Damage to bronchial or pulmonary vasculature due to TB, lung cancer, bronchiectasis, or pulmonary embolism
Dyspnea (Breathlessness)	Subjective feeling of difficulty in breathing	Due to decreased oxygenation (e.g., asthma, COPD, pneumonia) or increased work of breathing (e.g., fibrosis)
Orthopnea	Breathlessness while lying flat	Seen in left heart failure; increased venous return to lungs worsens pulmonary congestion in lying position
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea	Sudden breathlessness at night waking patient from sleep	Similar to orthopnea but more acute; due to reabsorption of interstitial fluid at night in heart failure
Wheezing	High-pitched whistling sound during breathing (usually expiration)	Narrowing or obstruction of small airways (asthma, COPD) causes turbulent airflow
Stridor	Harsh inspiratory sound, often high-pitched	Obstruction in upper airway (larynx, trachea); seen in croup, foreign body aspiration
Chest pain	Sharp or dull pain during breathing or coughing	Pleuritic pain (pleuritis), trauma, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, or pneumothorax
Cyanosis	Bluish discoloration of lips, tongue, fingertips	Low oxygen levels in blood (< 85% O₂ saturation); common in severe asthma, COPD, heart failure
Clubbing	Bulbous swelling of fingertips with loss of nail angle	Chronic hypoxia stimulates growth factors; seen in lung cancer, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease
Tachypnea	Rapid breathing	Reflex response to hypoxia, acidosis, fever, or lung disease reducing oxygen exchange
Use of accessory muscles	Neck and shoulder muscles used in breathing	Occurs in respiratory distress when diaphragm/intercostals are insufficient
Nasal flaring	Enlargement of nostrils during inspiration	Seen in infants or severe dyspnea; indicator of increased work of breathing
Grunting	Low-pitched sound during expiration (common in children)	Seen in alveolar disease; attempts to increase end-expiratory pressure to keep alveoli open
Snoring / Obstructive sounds	Loud inspiratory sound during sleep	Obstructive Sleep Apnea due to collapse of upper airway during sleep
Fever	Elevated body temperature	Common in respiratory infections (pneumonia, bronchitis, TB) due to immune response
Weight loss	Unintentional reduction in body weight	Seen in chronic infections (TB), lung malignancy; increased catabolism and poor appetite

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🔍  Common Diseases

Disease	Key Signs/Symptoms	Why It Happens
Asthma	Wheezing, cough, dyspnea	Bronchial hyperreactivity & airway narrowing
COPD	Chronic cough, sputum, wheeze, breathlessness	Chronic airway inflammation and alveolar destruction
Pneumonia	Fever,  productive cough, chest pain	Infection and inflammation of alveoli with exudate
Pulmonary TB	Chronic cough, hemoptysis, weight loss, night sweats	Mycobacterial infection causes caseous necrosis
Bronchiectasis	Purulent sputum, hemoptysis, clubbing	Irreversible bronchial dilation with infection
Lung Cancer	Cough, hemoptysis, weight loss, hoarseness	Tumor invasion into bronchi or surrounding tissues
Pulmonary Embolism	Sudden dyspnea, chest pain, hemoptysis, tachypnea	Obstruction of pulmonary artery → infarction or V/Q mismatch
Pleural Effusion	Dullness to percussion, dyspnea, decreased breath sounds	Fluid accumulation compressing lungs
Pneumothorax	Sudden chest pain, dyspnea, absent breath sounds	Air in pleural cavity → lung collapse

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🧠  Tips 

• Cough + Sputum + Fever → Think Infection (e.g., pneumonia, bronchitis)
• Wheezing → Think Airway Obstruction (e.g., asthma, COPD)
• Sudden Dyspnea + Chest Pain → Rule out PE or Pneumothorax
• Hemoptysis → Rule out TB, Cancer, or Bronchiectasis
• Chronic cough with weight loss → Rule out TB or malignancy

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