Resp L7.1

Question 1

1) What is Asthma?

2) Characteristics of asthma

Answer 1

1) Episodic Chronic airway disease

2) Airway wall inflammation
therefore,
Reversible airflow obstruction
Airway hyper-responsiveness (more sensitive, to triggers e.g. smoke, bronchioles constrict)
These issues all lead to airway remodelling. (change in lung, slow process, takes years)

Question 2

What are structural cahnges due to chronic inflammation?

Answer 2

Normal airway - lumen is celar, nothing blocking it.

Asthmatic: lumen smaller (bronchioles really tight as smooth muscles have contracted, air trapped in alveoili, cant move out)

Question 3

What are the actute and chronic changes that can occur during acute and chronic asthma?

Answer 3

The above diagram, Molecular Pathophysiology:

Leads to bronchospasm etc, wall inflamed
and thickened

Question 4

Immune Effector Cells

Answer 4

Question 5

Normal airway vs airway in asthma

Answer 5

More inflammatory cells in astma
-Eosinophil
Mast cell
Neutrophil
Lymphocyte
These cells have all been recruited by dendritic cells
Increase in goblet cell number, secrere moe mucus, this is what plugs the airways
Smooth muscle thicker

Question 6

1) What is the aetiology of asthma, how does it occur?

Answer 6

Extrinsic asthma (“allergic”)
- Early onset
-Most common type
-Caused by pollen etc, ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGENS
-Family History of atopy (genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases, asthma, hayfever, exzma)
-Type I (IgE) Hypersensivity

Intrinsic Asthma
-Adult onset
-Triggered by cold air, exercise
-No FH atopy
-Associated with chronic bronchitis
-Skin test negative: Negative for common allergens (non-atopic asthma)

Question 7

Triggers for asthma

Answer 7

ULEZ
Smoking
Medications (NSAIDs, Ibuprofen)

Question 8

What are the signs and symptoms of asthma?

Answer 8

Top line - symptoms
Bottom line - signs

Question 9

Diagram showing severity of asthma - Need to learn

Answer 9

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