MODULE SUPPLEMENT: PULMONARY SYSTEM
Component 4: The Regulation of Respiration

The last component of respiration is the regulation of breathing that is carried out through controls in several nuclei located in the medulla and pons as well as the Hering-Breuer Inflation Reflex that involves stretch receptors in lungs. These controls regulate the rhythm, rate, and pattern of breathing under diverse situations. Centers in the brain are very sensitive to changes in the level of O₂, CO₂, and H+ ions.

What happens to the regulation of respiration with age?

In general, the ventilatory response to increased levels of CO₂ (hypercapnia) and decreased levels of O₂ (hypoxia) are decreased in older adults (Sparrow & Weiss, 1988; Timiras, 2003; Enright, 1999), although some argue that these changes are relatively small (Chapman & Cherniack, 1987). More updated information is needed in this area. The important clinical point, however, is that this places the older adults at increased risk for reduced warning of impending respiratory distress and for delayed adaptive strategies that may also be less effective.