CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASES
Section I. ASTHMA
a. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) affect one out of five
Americans. Asthma and bronchitis are common forms of COPD and are found more
often in men than in women. The incidence of these diseases is more common among
cigarette smokers than people who do not smoke. Asthma is a disease characterized
by attacks of wheezing and difficult breathing. Spasms of the smooth muscles that lie in
the walls of the smaller bronchi and bronchioles bring on the attacks and cause these
passageways to close partially. Asthma can be caused by environmental factors such
as dust or cold air. Asthma can also be caused by an infection, exercise, or emotional
b. In an asthma attack, several bodily changes make it difficult for air to go
through bronchi passageways. These changes include bronchoconstriction (bronchial
muscles constricting), mucus secretion in the bronchi, and edema (fluid retention) in the
bronchial wall. The difficulty in bringing air through those passages accounts for a sign
almost always associated with asthma--wheezing.
c. There are five types of asthma. They are:
Extrinsic (allergic) asthma.
Nasal polyp asthma.
a. Extrinsic (Allergic) Asthma. This type of asthma usually affects children
and young adults who have a personal or family history of being hypersensitive to
substances in the environment, foods, or air substances that are inhaled. An individual
can inherit an allergy to drugs, vaccines, and anesthetic agents also.