Lecture 6 practise questions

Question 1

Describe the clinical characteristics of asthma

Answer 1

Airway hyper-responsiveness

Reversible airway narrowing

Variable symptoms including breathlessness, wheeze, chest tightness

Question 2

Describe the clinical characteristics of COPD

Answer 2

Airway inflammation

Permanent airflow obstruction (less reversibility to inhaler medication)

Deterioration in lung function over time

Persistent symptoms (e.g. wheeze, cough, shortness of breath)

Question 3

Describe the differences between asthma and COPD

e.g. pathology and treatment

Answer 3

Asthma (early onset with intermittent symptoms) (1 mark)
COPD (late onset with persistent symptoms) (1 mark)

Asthma (good response to inhaler therapy) (1 mark)
COPD (poor response to inhaler therapy) (1mark)

Asthma associated with allergy (1 mark)
COPD associated with smoking (1 mark)