The influence of climatic factors on the morphology of the upper respiratory tract and nose

Abstract

The morphological features of the upper respiratory tract, in particular the nose, play a key role in ensuring thermoregulation, humidification and purification of air entering the lungs. One of the factors that significantly influence the formation of anatomical variations of these structures is the climatic conditions of the habitat. In different geographical regions, differences in the structure of the nose and upper respiratory tract have formed during evolution, which contributed to human adaptation to cold, heat, humidity or dryness of the air. The relevance of the topic is due to the need for a better understanding of the relationship between climate and the morphology of the respiratory tract as an important aspect of evolutionary biology, anthropology and medicine. The aim of the study is to analyze scientific data on the influence of climatic factors on the morphological features of the nose and upper respiratory tract in humans. Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, a systematic search and analysis of scientific publications over the past 15 years was conducted in the Google Scholar database. The selection of sources was carried out using the following keywords: "nasal morphology", "climatic adaptation", "upper respiratory tract", "human anatomy", "climate influence". Publications containing data from anatomical, anthropological and clinical studies were selected. Results. The analysis of the literature confirmed the presence of a significant relationship between the type of climate and the morphology of the nose and upper respiratory tract. In particular, in cold and dry regions there is a tendency towards narrower and longer nasal passages, which allows for more effective warming and humidification of the air. In warm and humid climates, wider nasal openings prevail, which provide more effective heat exchange. In addition, it was found that the shape of the nose may be not only an adaptive response to the climate, but also the result of genetic heredity modified under the influence of the environment. Studies also show the influence of nasal morphology on the risk of developing respiratory diseases in conditions of climate change. Conclusions. The morphology of the nose and upper respiratory tract is closely related to the climatic factors of the environment. Understanding these adaptive changes is important for evolutionary medicine, anthropology, as well as in planning reconstructive surgeries and predicting respiratory diseases.