Disease or Syndrome
asthma
asth·ma [ az-muh, as- ]
Subclass of:
Respiratory Hypersensitivity;
Lung Diseases, Obstructive;
Bronchial Diseases
Etymology:
Greek asthma = panting or shortness of breath
Definitions related to asthma:
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A chronic disease in which the bronchial airways in the lungs become narrowed and swollen, making it difficult to breathe. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and rapid breathing. An attack may be brought on by pet hair, dust, smoke, pollen, mold, exercise, cold air, or stress.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A chronic respiratory disease caused by obstruction of the bronchi and small airways, and characterized by wheezing and shortness of breath.NICHD Pediatric TerminologyU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A chronic respiratory disease manifested as difficulty breathing due to the narrowing of bronchial passageways.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A disease that inflames and narrows airways, causing wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and tightness in the chest.Harvard Dictionary of Health TermsHarvard Medical Publishing, 2011
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A form of bronchial disorder with three distinct components: airway hyper-responsiveness (RESPIRATORY HYPERSENSITIVITY), airway INFLAMMATION, and intermittent AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION. It is characterized by spasmodic contraction of airway smooth muscle, WHEEZING, and dyspnea (DYSPNEA, PAROXYSMAL).NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. Your airways are tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways become sore and swollen. That makes them very sensitive, and they may react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When your airways react, they get narrower and your lungs get less air. Symptoms of asthma include Wheezing; Coughing, especially early in the morning or at night; Chest tightness; Shortness of breath. Not all people who have asthma have these symptoms. Having these symptoms doesn't always mean that you have asthma. Your doctor will diagnose asthma based on lung function tests, your medical history, and a physical exam. You may also have allergy tests. When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it's called an asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can be fatal. Asthma is treated with two kinds of medicines: quick-relief medicines to stop asthma symptoms and long-term control medicines to prevent symptoms. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteMedlinePlusU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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Asthma is characterized by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to multiple stimuli, leading to narrowing of the air passages with resultant dyspnea, cough, and wheezing.Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO)The Human Phenotype Ontology Project, 2021
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Form of bronchial disorder associated with airway obstruction, marked by recurrent attacks of paroxysmal dyspnea, with wheezing due to spasmodic contraction of the bronchi.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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Asthma is a disease of diffuse airway inflammation caused by a variety of triggering stimuli resulting in partially or completely reversible bronchoconstriction. Symptoms and signs include dyspnea, chest tightness, cough, and wheezing. The diagnosis is based on history, physical examination, and pulmonary function tests. Treatment...Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
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Asthma is a common chronic disease worldwide and affects approximately 24 million persons in the United States. It is the most common chronic disease in childhood, affecting an estimated 7 million children.WebMD, 2019
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Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out and shortness of breath.Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
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Asthma is a breathing disorder that affects the airways. People with this condition experience recurrent swelling and narrowing of the airways of the lungs which is associated with wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. Most affected people have episodes of symptoms ("asthma attacks") followed by symptom-free...National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by intermittent airway obstruction and hyperreactivity. Many cellular components are involved in the asthmatic pathway, including mast cells, eosinophils, T lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and epithelial cells. On insult, in susceptible people, inflammation causes...Athenahealth, Inc., 2019
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Asthma, a chronic disorder of the lungs in which inflamed airways are prone to constrict, causing episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and breathlessness that range in severity from mild to life-threatening. Asthma affects about 7-10 percent of children and about 7-9 percent of adults...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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