INTRODUCTION

The respiratory system includes the upper airway passages, the nasal cavities, pharynx and
trachea as well as the bronchi and bronchioles. Respiration is the exchange of gases between
the tissue of the body and to outside environment. It involves breathing in of an air through the
respiratory tract, uptake of oxygen from the lungs, transport of oxygen through the body in the
blood stream, utilization of oxygen in the metabolic activities (cells and removal of carbon
dioxide from the body.
Drug therapy of pulmonary disorders is generally directed towards altering a specific physiologic
function. The chapter will focus on drugs used to treat some of the more common disorders
affecting the respiratory system particularly bronchial asthma, allergies and congestions
associated with certain respiratory disorders.