ABSTRACT
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by intermittent symptoms, including chest congestion, cough, and wheezing. These symptoms are associated with airway responsiveness and variable airflow obstruction. This chapter focuses on the traditional asthma topics of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment, and discusses the environmental issues important to asthma. It explores asthma symptom prevention and enhanced control of disease, and also discusses the effects of exercise, occupation, stress, and pregnancy on asthma. Airway narrowing leading to increased airway resistance, and airflow obstruction in asthma occurs through three major mechanisms: airway smooth muscle contraction; increased airway lumen debris; and airway wall thickening from inflammation, edema, and over time, fibrosis. Multiple mechanisms produce airway inflammation, and they involve a variety of interactions between pro-inflammatory and inflammatory mediators. Measurements of airflow are known not to be strongly related to asthma symptoms but provide a more objective and additional measure to evaluate asthma control.
