TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Asthma A1 - Brown, Wendy A2 - Sutton, S. Scott Y1 - 2020 N1 - T2 - McGraw Hill’s NAPLEX® Review Guide, 4e AB - The characteristics of asthma are airway inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness which cause airflow obstruction. In the asthmatic response, a genetically predisposed or atopic individual is exposed to a specific reactive stimuli or trigger. Common asthma triggers include allergens (eg, mold, pollen, animal dander, dust mites) and irritants (eg, cold air, changes in weather, smoke, strong odors). Minutes after repeated exposure, the immediate asthmatic response occurs causing bronchoconstriction, which resolves spontaneously or easily by β2-agonist use. Within 4 to 12 hours after the immediate asthmatic response, the late asthmatic response, caused by influx of inflammatory cells primarily eosinophils, Th2 lymphocytes, mast cells, macrophages, and mediators such as leukotrienes, histamine, and prostaglandin infiltrate the airway. The reaction is often severe, prolonged, and referred to as an asthma exacerbation. This chronic inflammation is postulated to cause hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the bronchial smooth muscle and mucus glands that may lead to permanent, irreversible obstruction termed airway remodeling. The combination of airway obstruction and inflammation leads to the common symptoms of asthma that are cough (especially one that wakes the patient at night), wheezing, chest tightness, and dyspnea. In the pediatric population, males are twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma; however, this ratio equals between males and females in adulthood. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1179735372 ER -