L3.6: Bronchial Asthma

• BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

  ● Obstructive disease of the lower respiratory tract.

  ○ Not a type of COPD

  ● Sudden narrowing and obstruction

  ○ Bronchoconstriction
• BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

  ● Chronic inflammation causes an associated increase in airway hyperresponsiveness that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing

  ○ Particularly at night or in the early morning
• Causes and Risk Factors

  ● Genetic predisposition

  ● Atopy/allergy

  ● Gender

  ● Heredity
• Causes and Risk Factors

  ● Environmental Factors

  ○ Indoor/outdoor allergens

  ○ Occupational sensitizers

  ○ Tobacco smoke

  ○ Air pollution

  ○ Respiratory infections (cough, cold, flu trigger asthma)

  ○ Parasitic infections

  ○ Socio-economic factors

  ○ Family size

  ○ Diet & drugs

  ○ Obesity
• Screening

  ● Hallmark of asthma

  ○ Demonstration of reversibility of asthma obstruction.
• Screening

  ● Suspect asthma in the ff:

  ○ One or a combination of cardinal symptoms

  ○ Temporal waxing & waning/or nocturnal occurrence of symptoms

  ○ A history of any of the following:

  ■ Symptoms triggered by exogenous factors

  ■ Family history of asthma or allergy

  ■ Personal history of asthma or allergy

  ■ Improvement of symptoms with bronchodilator use