Two-week-old Tabitha has infant respiratory distress syndrome. Eighty-year-old Anthony has emphysema, and 50-year-old Jenny has pulmonary fibrosis. a. Why are the mechanics of breathing greatly compromised in all these cases?

In all of these situations, the mechanics of respiration are severely compromised because they each have a respiratory condition that interferes with their ability breathe properly.

Tabitha was diagnosed with infant respiratory distress syndrome at two-weeks-old. This is a medical condition where the lungs in a preterm baby have not developed fully and cannot provide the necessary oxygen. Immature lungs in a premature infant are more elastic and less able to contract and expand when breathing. Breathing difficulties can result.

Anthony is 80 and has emphysema. He suffers from chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD), a condition that damages air sacs within the lungs, making it harder to breathe out. Air becomes trapped inside the lungs and makes it hard to breath, particularly during exercise.

Jenny, who is fifty years old, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis. Scar tissue accumulates in the lungs and makes oxygen flow more difficult. It causes the person to have shortness in breath, and it is difficult to breathe.

In all three cases, the mechanics of breathing are greatly compromised, affecting the individual’s ability to breathe effectively and causing them to experience breathing difficulties.