A Critical Evaluation of the Definition of Asthma
The clinical variants of asthma are numerous and until a unifying etiology is found, asthma cannot be precisely defined. The criteria for asthma in the most commonly cited definition include: 1) diffuse bronchial obstruction, 2) response to specific (bronchodilator) therapy, and 3) bronchial hyperreactivity. Since asthma is an episodic disease, these features may not always be present when the patient is seen for evaluation. An appreciation of the limitations of this definition will encourage more appropriate use of bronchodilator therapy.
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Associate Professor of Medicine, Brown University Program in Medicine; Division of Pulmonary Diseases, Department of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital
Publication date: 01 June 1983
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