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Information about Respiration

Respiration is a term used in both biochemistry and physiology.


In the case of biochemistry it refers to :

Respiration, the release of energy from glucose or other organic substances inside living cells. Every cell needs to respire in order to produce the energy it needs. Cellular respiration is a often used to describe this phenomenon. See the following subjects :
  • Cellular respiration, the process in which the chemical bonds of energy-rich molecules such as glucose are converted into energy usable for life processes
  • Anaerobic respiration, a process that allows respiration without use of oxygen; can only happen for a limited amount of time in humans
  • Plant respiration, the enzymatic oxidation of substrates in plants, leading to the release of carbon dioxide


Physiologists (see Physiology) have also studied the mechanisms that are involved in gas exchanges between the blood of an animal and the environment, or the mechanisms that are involved in the transport of gas in the body. In this case, it refers to :

Respiration, the biological function by which the organism absorbs oxygen and disposes of carbon dioxyde. See the following subjects :


The word respiration has also been used in other expressions :
  • Carbon respiration, a phrase used in combination with carbon storage to calculate the amount of carbon (as CO2) flux occurring in the atmosphere through the various processes that add and subtract atmospheric carbon
  • Respiration rate, a parameter which is used in ecological and agronomical modelling
Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living organisms.[1] The word "biochemistry" comes from the Greek word βιοχημεία biochēmeia, which means "the chemistry of life.
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Physiology (from Greek: φυσις, physis, “nature, origin”; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms.
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Cellular respiration describes the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in a cell or across the cell membrane to obtain biochemical energy from fuel molecules and the release of the cells' waste products.
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The factual accuracy of part of this article is disputed.
The dispute is about Lactic acid fermentation.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page .
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Plant respiration is the oxidation of certain substrates by enzymes, leading to a release of carbon dioxide. It can be loosely thought of as the opposite of photosynthesis, though the net release of carbon dioxide in respiration is relatively very small compared with carbon uptake
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Physiology (from Greek: φυσις, physis, “nature, origin”; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms.
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In animal physiology, respiration is the transport of oxygen from the ambient air to the tissue cells and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction. This is in contrast to the biochemical definition of respiration, which refers to cellular respiration
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Aquatic respiration is the process whereby an aquatic animal obtains oxygen from water.

Earth's natural bodies of water have a low oxygen concentration--much lower than the level of oxygen in air at the earth's surface.
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External respiration refers to the exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the pulmonary loop of circulation including the lungs. Oxygen is drawn in through the respiratory tract, (nasal passages, into the pharynx, to the trachea, the bronchial tubes to the alveoli sacs) and
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Pulmonary circulation is the portion of the cardiovascular system which carries oxygen-depleted blood away from the heart, to the lungs, and returns oxygenated blood back to the heart. The term is contrasted with systemic circulation.
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The various muscles of respiration aid in both inspiration and expiration, which require changes in the pressure within the thoracic cavity. The respiratory muscles work to achieve this by changing the dimensions of the thoracic cavity.
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respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. A diaphragm pulls air in and pushes it out. Respiratory systems of various types are found in a wide variety of organisms.
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In humans the respiratory tract is the part of the anatomy that has to do with the process of respiration.

The respiratory tract is divided into 3 segments:
  • Upper respiratory tract: nose and nasal passages, paranasal sinuses, and throat or pharynx

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respiratory rate (or respiration rate) is the number of breaths a living being, such as a human, takes per minute.

There is only limited research on monitoring alien respiratory rate, and these studies have focused on such issues as the inaccuracy of respiratory rate
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Diseases of the mammalian Respiratory system are classified physiologically into obstructive (i.e. conditions which impede the rate of flow into and out of the lungs) and restrictive (i.e. conditions which cause a reduction in the functional volume of the lungs).
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Ataxic respiration is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by complete irregularity of breathing, with irregular pauses and increasing periods of apnea. As the breathing pattern deteriorates, it merges with agonal respirations.
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Agonal respiration is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by shallow, slow (3-4 per minute), irregular inspirations followed by irregular pauses. They may also be characterized as gasping, labored breathing, accompanied by strange vocalizations and myoclonus.
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Apneustic respiration (a.k.a. apneusis) is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by deep, gasping inspiration with a pause at full inspiration followed by a brief, insufficient release.
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Cheyne-Stokes respiration
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10 R 06.3
ICD-9 786.09

Cheyne-Stokes respiration (also known as periodic breathing) is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by periods of breathing with gradually
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Biot's respiration, sometimes also called cluster respiration, is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by groups of quick, shallow inspirations followed by regular or irregular periods of apnea.
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Respiratory arrest
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10 R 09.2
ICD-9 799.1

Respiratory arrest is the cessation of the normal tidal flow of the lungs due to paralysis of the diaphragm, collapse of the lung or any number of respiratory
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MeSH D007040 In medicine, hypoventilation (also known as respiratory depression) occurs when ventilation is inadequate (hypo means "below") to perform needed gas exchange.
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Reverse sneezing (also called backwards sneezing) or inspiratory paroxysmal respiration is a phenomenon observed in dogs whose exact cause is unknown but may be due to nasal, pharyngeal, or sinus irriation (such as an allergy) or the dog's attempt to remove mucus.
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Respiratory therapy is categorized as an allied health profession in the United States and Canada. Respiratory therapists (RTs), also known as Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCP), specialize in the assessment and treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular pathologies.
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Inhalation therapy is a discipline of medicine which deals with the oxygenation and respiratory system of clients. In the United States this discipline is referred to as Respiratory therapy.
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Artificial respiration is the act of simulating respiration, which provides for the overall exchange of gases in the body by pulmonary ventilation, external respiration and internal respiration.
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For the mechanical device used to assist breathing, see .


A respirator is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling harmful dusts, fumes, vapors, and/or gases.
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Carbon respiration is a phrase used in combination with carbon storage to calculate the amount of carbon (as CO2) flux occurring in the atmosphere through the various processes that add and subtract atmospheric carbon.
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respiration rate is a parameter which is used in ecological and agronomical modelling. In theoretical production ecology and aquaculture, it typically refers to respiration per unit of time (usually loss of biomass by respiration per unit of weight), also referred to as
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