TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 512. Asthma A1 - Hershey, Gurjit K. Khurana A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. PY - 2011 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by increased airways hyperresponsiveness and mucus production. Its symptoms of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, and chest tightness are associated with variable airflow limitation that is at least partly reversible. Asthma is estimated by the World Health Organization to affect 150 million people worldwide,1 and its global pharmacotherapeutic costs exceed $5 billion per year. In children, where asthma remains the leading cause of emergency care and hospitalization, rates continue to rise. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recently issued its third Expert Panel Report outlining guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. The importance of inflammation in the pathogenesis of asthma remains recognized and highlighted. The heterogeneity of asthma is also a key feature of the report. The Panel emphasizes the importance of individualizing treatment for patients because of the heterogeneous nature of the disease. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/19 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7051474 ER -