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The bronchioles or bronchioli are the first airway
Airway

The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli.The airway begins at the mouth or nose, and accesses the vertebrate trachea via the pharynx....
 branches that no longer contain cartilage
Cartilage

Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. It is composed of specialized cells called chondrocyte that produce a large amount of extracellular matrix composed of collagen fibers, abundant ground substance rich in proteoglycan, and elastin fibers....
. They are branches of the bronchi, and are smaller than one millimeter in diameter.

There are no gland
Gland

A gland is an Organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface ....
s or cartilage in any of the bronchioles, and the epithelial cells become more cuboidal in shape.

The bronchioles terminate by entering the circular sacs called alveoli.

Control of airflow resistance and air distribution in the lungs is controlled by the bronchioles.

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m1290964",this)' onMouseout='hide("m1290964")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bronchospasm">Bronchospasm
Bronchospasm

Bronchospasm or "Bronchial Spasm" is a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles. It is caused by the release of substances from mast cells or basophils under the influence of anaphylatoxins....
, a life-threatening situation, occurs when the smooth muscular tissue of the bronchioles constricts, severely narrowing their diameter.






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The bronchioles or bronchioli are the first airway
Airway

The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli.The airway begins at the mouth or nose, and accesses the vertebrate trachea via the pharynx....
 branches that no longer contain cartilage
Cartilage

Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. It is composed of specialized cells called chondrocyte that produce a large amount of extracellular matrix composed of collagen fibers, abundant ground substance rich in proteoglycan, and elastin fibers....
. They are branches of the bronchi, and are smaller than one millimeter in diameter.

There are no gland
Gland

A gland is an Organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface ....
s or cartilage in any of the bronchioles, and the epithelial cells become more cuboidal in shape.

The bronchioles terminate by entering the circular sacs called alveoli.

Control of airflow resistance and air distribution in the lungs is controlled by the bronchioles.

Pathology

Bronchospasm
Bronchospasm

Bronchospasm or "Bronchial Spasm" is a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles. It is caused by the release of substances from mast cells or basophils under the influence of anaphylatoxins....
, a life-threatening situation, occurs when the smooth muscular tissue of the bronchioles constricts, severely narrowing their diameter. Bronchospasm is commonly treated by oxygen therapy
Oxygen therapy

Oxygen therapy is the administration of oxygen as a therapeutic modality. Oxygen therapy benefits the patient by increasing the supply of oxygen to the lungs and thereby increasing the availability of oxygen to the body tissues....
 and bronchodilator
Bronchodilator

A bronchodilator is a substance that Wiktionary:dilate#Verb the Bronchus and bronchioles, decreasing airway resistance and thereby facilitating airflow....
s.

The medical condition of inflammation of the bronchioles is termed bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs. This inflammation is usually caused by viruses. More on this can be found below....
. Diseases of the bronchioles include asthma
Asthma

Asthma is a common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in which the Lung constrict, become inflammation, and are lined with excessive amounts of thickened mucus, often in response to one or more triggers....
, bronchiolitis obliterans
Bronchiolitis obliterans

Bronchiolitis obliterans, or Constrictive bronchiolitis, one form of which is called Popcorn Workers' Lung or popcorn lung, is a rare and life-threatening form of non-reversible obstructive lung disease in which the bronchioles are plugged with granulation tissue....
, respiratory syncytial virus infection, and influenza
Influenza

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease that affects birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the biological family Orthomyxoviridae ....
.

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