Asthma Flashcards
Define ASthma
Disease characterised by an increased responsiveness of trachea & bronchi to various stimuli.
Manifested by a widespread narrowing of airways that changes in severity either spontaneously or due to therapy.
How does asthma cause the airways to narrow?
Inflammation of the airway:
- > Directly narrows the airway
- > Increases airway reactivity/irritibility which results in spontaneous or stimulus driven airway narrowing
How many people does asthma kill a year?
Around 1000
How many people are recieveing asthma treatment in the UK?
5.4 million
10-15% of kids and 5-10% adults
How many hospital admissions are astham related?
67000 + 4.1million GP consulatations
How much money is spent on asthma?
~2.3billion a year
List the proven risk factors for asthma?
- Atopy
- Occupation
- Smoking
Define atopy
An inherited tendency to produce IgE in response to allergen
What kind of conditions can becaused by atopy?
- AStham
- Eczema
- Hayfever
- Food Allergies
How do we test for atopy?
- Markers
- Skin prick test (place allergen under skin)
- IgE tests
What kind of inheritance has the main effect on atopy?
MAternal inheritence is 3x as influential as paternal inheritance when it comes to determining atopy
What kind of genes show association with atopy?
- Immune response genes (Il-4, IL-5, IgE)
- Airway genes (ADAM33)
What sort of allergens are known to be related to asthma?
House dust mite dropppings
Cat allergens
How are exposure and atopy relateD?
Exposure doesnt cause atopy or asthma.
once someone atopic is sensitized to an allergen it can trigger an asthmatic response.
How much of asthma is occupational?
Around 10-15% of adult onset asthma is occupational