Thickening of the alveolar membranes impair oxygen movement while having little effect on co2 exchange because carbon dioxide diffuses much more readily than oxygen.
Thickening increases the distance across which the gases diffuse. As carbon dioxide diffuses more readily than oxygen, therefore it is not affected as much by thickening.
CO2 diffuses approximately 20 times faster across the alveolar-capillary membrane than O2 because of higher solubility in plasma.
The exchange of gases occur due to simple diffusion and energy is not required to move oxygen or carbon dioxide across membranes. These gases follow pressure gradients that allows them to diffuse.
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