Asthma is a condition marked by recurrent attacks of difficult breathing and wheezing due to spasmodic constriction of the bronchi tubes.

It as also known as bronchial asthma. Attacks vary greatly, from occasional periods of difficult breathing and wheezing to severe attacks that produce suffocation and require immediate medical attention. An acute attack that lasts for days to weeks is called “status asthmaticus.”

Asthma occurs in approximately 3% of the general population with varying degrees of severity. It occurs equally in males and females and tends to occur in children and young adults.

It is a chronic condition with an irregular pattern of exacerbations and remissions and can be classified into three types according to causative factors.

• Extrinsic asthma is due to an external allergy and represents the most common type of asthma. Usually, the offending allergens are suspended in air in the form of pollen, dust, cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust, animal dander or some other offending agent.

• Intrinsic asthma or non-allergenic asthma is due to a chronic, underlying infection of the bronchi, sinuses, tonsils or adenoids by bacteria, fungi or viruses. There is evidence that this type of asthma develops from a hypersensitivity to the offending infectious agent.

• The mixed type is the third category of asthma and is due to a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Attacks can be precipitated by infections, emotional........

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