Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease in which the tracheo-bronchial air passages of respiratory tract shows hyper-responsiveness to various stimuli.

Types-

Bronchial asthma is of two types-

1. Early onset or atopic asthma.

2. Late onset or non-atopic asthma.

1. Early onset asthma- is characterized by early onset of disease, individual shows hyper or increased sensitivity to various allergic stimuli and antigens. There is also present past or family history of allergic diseases in the family.

2. Late onset asthma- occurs in non-atopic individuals and shows no family history or personal history of allergic disease in family. It has late onset.

Causes-

1. Allergens which cause bronchial hyper-responsiveness.

2. Inflammation within the bronchial walls. Respiratory tract viral infections.

3. Tobacco, stress, side effects of some drugs. Occupational hazards, environmental pollution.

Symptoms-

1. Episodic asthma is a type of bronchial asthma which occurs with asymptomatic intervening episodes that is it does not occur on daily basis. It occurs on intermittent basis that is it involves the asymptomatic period in between the symptomatic period or episode of asthma from where it has been named episodic asthma. It is triggered by allergens, infections of respiratory tract or excessive work load. Its symptoms are wheeze, dyspnoea with sudden onset.

2. Status asthmaticus in which there occurs severe air way obstruction of air passages of respiratory tract despite the proper early medication for asthma. It involves severe dysponea and unproductive cough, cyanosis and increased respiratory rate.

3. In chronic asthma there is no intervening asymptomatic period. Symptoms are occurring chronically from long time that is patient is suffering from asthma from a long time. There is wheeze, dysponea on exertion, spontaneous cough with mucoid sputum that is purulent expectoration. Cough also occurs at night time which wakes the patient at night from sleep.

4. Ronchi, increased respiratory rate. Vesicular breath sounds.

Investigations-

1. Chest x-ray, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas studies. Skin hypersensitivity test, sputum examination test.

2. Blood test, TLC, WBC count. Serum IgE test.

Treatment-

1. Avoid allergic things or substances which cause symptoms. Immunotherapy is also helpful.

2. Medication to treat and prevent symptoms. Avoid going in polluted or dusty environment which aggravate the symptoms.