Asthma has many triggers including rhinosinusitis; allergy; irritants; medications (aspirin in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease); and obesity. Paradoxic vocal fold dysfunction mimics asthma and may be present along with asthma. This…
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) occurs commonly in patients with asthma but also can affect individuals without asthma. EIB is particularly common in populations of athletes. Common symptoms include cough, dyspnea, chest…
Vitamin D (vitD3) deficiency occurs frequently and has profound effects on health, especially asthma. This article examines how current knowledge of vitD3 actions and the worldwide distribution of vitD3 deficiency…
Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a relatively new option for assessing allergic inflammation in the lungs. Clinical management of asthma is challenging, and measuring exhaled nitric oxide can…
Bronchial thermoplasty is a relatively new therapy for the management of severe asthma. It involves the direct bronchoscopic application of thermal energy to airways by a catheter-directed expandable basket. The…
Therapy for asthma has undergone substantial changes in the past three decades, prompted by a better understanding of the role of inflammation in reversible airway disease. Improved therapies and a…
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that leads to airway obstruction via bronchoconstriction, edema, and mucus hypersecretion. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program has outlined evidence-based…
The ability to accurately obtain and interpret spirometry is essential for physicians caring for patients with asthma and inflammatory disease of the airway. This article reviews the basic equipment, setting,…
Pulmonary function testing is an important diagnostic modality in the workup of patients suspected of having asthma. It is also valuable for monitoring response to treatment in patients initiated and…
