Blood pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats (systolic pressure) and when the heart is at rest (diastolic pressure). It's measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). High blood pressure (or hypertension) is defined in an adult as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure.

High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke, especially when it's present with other risk factors.

High blood pressure can occur in children or adults, but it's more common among people over age 35. It's particularly prevalent in African Americans, middle-aged and elderly people, obese people, heavy drinkers and women taking birth control pills. It may run in families, but many people with a strong family history of high blood pressure never have it. People with diabetes mellitus, gout or kidney disease are more likely to have high blood pressure, too.

High blood pressure is sometimes called the "silent killer" because it usually has no warning signs or symptoms. Many people do not know that they have high blood pressure. That’s why it's important to get your blood pressure checked regularly.

While the cause of high blood pressure in most people remains unclear, a variety of conditions - such as getting little or no exercise, poor diet, obesity, older age, and genetics - can lead to hypertension.

Pulmonary emphysema, permanent distension of the small air sacs, is characterized by these small air sacs bursting. There is respiratory distress in all forms of emphysema.

Asthma becomes apparent by frequent, spasmodic gasping for air and wheezing. As with chronic bronchitis, the bronchi are inflamed and obstructed with phlegm while the cilia are conglutinated. The respiratory passages also respond to certain stimuli with muscular spasms, often caused by allergens such as pollen or house dust, but also stress and environmental pollution.

With bronchitis the bronchial mucus membrane is inflamed. If this persists for a lengthy period, it is referred to as chronic bronchitis. Constant coughing, impaired breathing, excess mucus and sputum are typical symptoms.

We breathe in and out over 20,000 times a day. When inhaling, the chest rises and the diaphragm expands downward, creating a partial vacuum in the chest. This vacuum draws the inhaled air into the upper and lower respiratory passages. When exhaling, the lungs and chest return to their initial position and the spent air is expelled from the body via the respiratory passages. Respiration is accurately adjusted to the current metabolic condition - for example, physical rest or activity - by the so-called respiratory centre of the brain.

Some relief for respiratory disorders can often be obtained by eliminating the causes of allergic reactions, such as by avoiding pollen and keeping the home free of dust. It is also strongly recommended to avoid smoking and smokers.

Fever is one of the body's defence mechanisms. When bacteria or viruses get into your body and cause it to malfunction, the body goes on the defensive and your immune system is activated. When this happens, a central nerve in the brain allows the heat generated inside the body to be turned up from the usually constant level. This higher temperature level increases the metabolism and prevents the increase of pathogenic agents.

"Normal temperature" is usually around 37 °C (98,6 °F). However, normal temperature is not the same for every individual. Temperature can vary with age, and even time of day. Usually it is lowest in the morning, highest in the afternoon and somewhat lower at bedtime.

It is of great medical importance to measure body temperature. The reason is that a number of diseases are accompanied by characteristic changes in body temperature. Likewise, the course of certain diseases can be monitored by measuring body temperature, and the efficiency of a treatment initiated can be evaluated by the physician. Fever is a reaction to disease-specific stimuli, where the set point of the temperature control centre is varied to promote the body's defenses against the disease process. Fever is the most common form of pathological (disease- related) elevation on body temperature.

Essentially a distinction must be made between the technical accuracy of the thermometer itself and the clinical accuracy in use in taking a temperature. The former is determined under idealized conditions to guarantee the quality of the instrument, taking the relevant technical standards into account. An accuracy of +/- 0.1°C can be considered state of the art for high-grade thermometers. The user must not confuse technical accuracy with this accuracy in use. The human body temperatures described here, which depend on the measurement location and time, are due to physiological causes and are not due to a thermometer malfunction.

Essentially, it is true that the measured body temperature always depends on where it is measured. Therefore, contrary to popular consensus, there is no simple "normal temperature. Furthermore, a healthy person's body temperature will vary with activity and time during the day. In a rectal temperature measurement, a typical temperature difference of 0.5°C between the higher evening temperatures is physiological. Body temperature is typically elevated after physical activity. Roughly speaking, a distinction is made between a core temperature and a surface, where the surface temperature is measured at the skin surface and is a mixed temperature between the body's core temperature and the ambient temperature. The core temperature is measured by inserting a thermometer into a body cavity, which yields the temperature of the mucous tissue.