Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes a variable obstruction of airflow. It usually changes throughout the day (it may worsen at night) and improves with the established treatment, although it can reappear later.

It is a disease primarily caused by an inflammatory mechanism.

In the airways of patients with asthma, three phenomena occur:

1. Reduction of the bronchial diameter, which hinders airflow.
2. Inflammation, with thickening of the bronchial wall, which also contributes to obstructing airflow.
3. Increased activity of mucus-producing glands, so that the rise in secretions further contributes to breathing difficulty.

There is a set of cells circulating in the blood involved in the local inflammation observed in asthma: T lymphocytes, mast cells, and eosinophils. These cells are responsible for the normal defense of the body and show increased activity in asthma, which is regulated with the administered medication.

Symptoms

Depending on the degree of obstruction, the affected person may experience difficulty breathing and a feeling of shortness of breath. Wheezing is also characteristic of asthma; it is a high-pitched sound produced by air passing through smaller airways and also by increased bronchial secretions.

Who is affected?

Asthma can affect all age groups and sometimes coincides with bronchitis. In some cases, it may have an allergic origin or result from exposure to environmental or chemical agents.

Diagnosis

Spirometry, chest X-ray, allergy tests.

Some basic questions to help diagnose asthma include:

1. Have you ever had “wheezing” in your chest?
2. Have you had a cough, especially at night?
3. Have you had cough, wheezing, or difficulty breathing at certain times of the year or when in contact with animals, plants, tobacco, at work, or after exercise?
4. Have you had colds lasting more than 10 days or that “go down to your chest”?
5. Have you used inhaled medications?

Usual Treatment

Treatment is based on the use of bronchodilators, in inhaler or tablet form. Anti-inflammatory medications also play an important role.

Most common tests

The most common diagnostic tests for asthma include:

1. Spirometry: Measures airflow during inhalation and exhalation and detects airway obstruction, a key feature of asthma.
2. Bronchodilator test: Determines whether spirometry improves with medications that dilate the airways.
3. Bronchial provocation test: The opposite test, using medications that cause slight airway obstruction, detected by spirometry.

Prevention

To prevent asthma, it is essential not to smoke and to avoid exposure to allergens that trigger it, which can be identified through allergy testing as part of the asthma evaluation.