ABSTRACT
Asthma is a disease that leads to the narrowing of the airway due to allergic inflammatory responses, causing recurrent cough, dyspnea, a constricting sensation within the chest, and wheezing. Although asthma most frequently occurs in children, it also appears often in adults and the elderly. Most of the patients with pediatric asthma and nearly half of adults with asthma have antibodies against allergens so that the asthma symptoms become more severe when a susceptible person is exposed to an allergen. Symptoms due to allergens present only in certain seasons or situations such as pollen appear intermittently, while symptoms due to indoor allergens such as dust mites and molds may appear persistently. In untreated asthma, persistent chronic allergic airway inflammation leads to airway remodeling, and symptoms persist even in the absence of allergen exposure. Thus, early diagnosis of asthma and treatment of inflammation for the effective management of asthma are highly desirable.
