Question

A patient is suffering from type II tracheomalacia, a rare disease in which the hyaline cartilage degenerates in the trachea. What consequences may this patient encounter?

A) The decrease in lung compliance
B) Difficulty in pushing food down into the stomach, as the trachea may impede the food from entering the stomach
C) The collapse of the lungs
D) The difficulty of inspiring air into the alveoli

Answer 1

Type II tracheomalacia may cause difficulty in breathing due to decreased lung compliance, resulting from the collapse of the trachea during inhalation.

Step-by-step explanation:

A patient with type II tracheomalacia, where the hyaline cartilage of the trachea degenerates, may suffer from consequences similar to those observed in restrictive lung diseases. When lung compliance decreases due to the tracheal wall becoming less rigid and unable to hold open, this can lead to a collapse of the trachea. The main symptoms of this condition would include difficulty in breathing, particularly when inhaling, since the tracheal collapse can make it hard to draw air into the lungs.

This collapse is different from the airway obstruction encountered in diseases such as asthma, which affects the bronchioles. In restrictive diseases like tracheomalacia, the problem is with the rigidity and structure of the trachea itself, not with the distal airways. Food passage through the esophagus should not be impeded as the trachea and esophagus are separate passages, so difficulty pushing food down into the stomach isn't a direct consequence of tracheomalacia.