Asthma Terminology - Medical terms for asthma disease
Glossary of medical terminology used in asthma treatment
Definitions of asthma terms
Airways - Hollow tubes connecting to lungs, including the trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles.
Asthma - Chronic respiratory disease caused by allergy or heredity resulting in sudden attacks of forced breathing, wheezing, and coughing.
Attack - Episode. Worsened state of asthma.
Breathlessness - Serious difficulty in breathing creating a sense of suffocating.
Brittle asthma - Asthma attack with no or little warning resulting in life-threatening crisis.
Bronchi - Airways between the trachea and lungs.
Bronchial asthma - Asthma originating from the lungs.
Cardiac asthma - Asthma caused by hearth problems.
Challenge test - Test to find out hypersensitivity of bronchi.
Chronic - Long-lasting.
Edema - Swelling due to excessive fluids in cells.
Episode - Worsened state of asthma.
Extrinsic asthma - Asthma caused by external factors such as pollen, dust, etc.
Histamine - Chemical produced by body creating allergic reaction and inflammation.
Intrinsic asthma - Asthma caused by internal factors such as emotions and reaction to some drugs.
Intubation - Placing a tube in the trachea to force air into the lungs to assist breathing.
Irritant - Substance causing asthma attacks.
Labile - Unstable, changing.
Nebuliser - Device that creates mist for asthma patients.
Nocturnal asthma - Asthma that occurs in the night.
Occupational asthma - Asthma caused by factors that exist at work place.
Preventer - Medicine preventing occurrence of asthma.
Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) - Series of test to determine respiratory problems.
Pulmonologist - Doctor specializing in respiratory system.
Reliever - Medicine eliminating symptoms of asthma.
Sinusitis - Inflammation of sinuses due to infection.
Spirometry - Measuring amount of air blown.
Status asthmaticus - Serious episode of asthma that inhalers cannot help.
Trigger - Anything that creates or worsen symptoms of asthma.
Wheezing - Whistling or hissing sound created while breathing by asthma patients due to inflammation of airways.
