Asthma
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Asthma
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First Aid
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2016
Albuterol p. 243
asthma p. 712
Antileukotrienes
for asthma p. 712
Asthma p. 698
albuterol for p. 243
β -blockers and p. 247
breast milk and p. 652
cromolyn sodium for p. 411
drug therapy p. 712
eczema and p. 489
epinephrine for p. 243
gastroesophageal reflux disease p. 386
hypertension treatment with p. 323
immunosuppressants p. 118
muscarinic antagonists for p. 242
omalizumab for p. 120
pulsus paradoxus in p. 481
salmeterol for p. 243
type I hypersensitivity p. 110
β2 -agonists
asthma p. 712
Corticosteroids
asthma p. 712
Cough p. 148, 572
asthma p. 698
Dyspnea
asthma p. 698
Pulsus paradoxus p. 481
asthma p. 698
Tachypnea
asthma p. 698
Upper respiratory infections (URIs)
asthma trigger p. 698
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Asthma comes from the Greek word for “panting”, which makes sense because it causes chronic inflammation of the airways, making them narrow and more difficult to breathe through.
People with asthma can have asthma exacerbation or asthma attacks, which are usually triggered by something in the environment which causes immune cells to generate inflammation in the lungs which can make them even narrower and potentially be life-threatening.
So, if we take a look at the lungs, you’ve got the trachea, which branches off into right and left bronchi, and then continues to branch into thousands of bronchioles.
In the bronchioles you’ve got the lumen, the mucosa, which includes the inner lining of epithelial cells, as well as the lamina propria, and the submucosa which is where the smooth muscle lives.
The molecular pathway that leads to asthma is actually pretty complex but it is often initiated by an environmental trigger.
In asthma there is often an excessive reaction from type 2 helper cells or Th2 cells against specific allergens.
Th2 cells, are an immune cell subtype, which are known to be involved in asthma, as well as atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis, making up what’s called the atopic triad.
What can happen with asthma is allergens from environmental triggers, like cigarette smoke, are picked up by dendritic cells which present them to a Th2 cell which produce cytokines like IL-4 and IL-5 leading to a number of features of asthma.
Sources
- "Robbins Basic Pathology" Elsevier (2017)
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Twentieth Edition (Vol.1 & Vol.2)" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine 8E" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2020" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2019)
- "Asthma-related comorbidities" Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine (2011)
- "Genes, environments, development and asthma: a reappraisal" European Respiratory Journal (2006)
- "Asthma: Clinical expression and molecular mechanisms" Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2010)
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