RT Book, Section
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.
SR Print(0)
ID 7051474
T1 Chapter 512. Asthma
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7051474
RD 2024/04/20
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.