Abstract
Asthma is a global disease of varying presentations and complex pathophysiology which contributes to chronic symptom burden, loss of function and productivity, increased healthcare costs from emergency department visits and hospitalization, and severe medical complications including death. An estimated 25 million Americans and 300 million persons worldwide are affected and epidemiologic studies indicate that the prevalence of asthma is increasing. Understanding asthma requires knowledge of: lung function, immunology and hypersensitivity, disease presentation, pulmonary function testing, treatment mechanisms, and comorbid conditions. Management of patients with asthma demands longitudinal monitoring of symptoms, medication use and compliance, and frequent reassessment of response to therapy. Due to the complexity of the disease and multitude of treatment considerations, referral to specialists and advanced centers of excellence is required to achieve acceptable disease control in some instances. However, physicians in the primary care setting, emergency department, and hospital frequently encounter, diagnose, and manage asthma. As such, understanding the core principles of definition, mechanism, diagnosis, symptom burden, associated and mimicking diseases, and treatment options is necessary for all healthcare professionals. This chapter outlines the fundamental approach to asthma definition, diagnosis, pathogenesis, presentation, comorbid conditions, and treatment modalities.
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Ledford, R. (2019). Adult Asthma. In: Craig, T., Ledford, D. (eds) Allergy and Asthma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58726-4_13-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58726-4_13-1
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