Asthma treatment

Most asthma develops during childhood and usually varies considerably
with time and treatment. Young asthmatic patients usually have identifiable triggers that provoke wheezing, although there is seldom one single extrinsic cause for all their attacks. This ‘extrinsic’ asthma is often associated with other features of atopy such as rhinitis and eczema. When asthma starts in adult life, the airflow obstruction is often more persistent and many exacerbations have no obvious stimuli other than respiratory

Types of asthma :

Childhood onset asthma :Most asthma starts in childhood, usually on an atopic background. Tends to have significant variability and
identifiable precipitants.

Adult onset asthma : This is most often a relapse of earlier asthma, but may have initial onset at any age. Often more persistent with fewer
obvious precipitants except infection.

Nocturnal asthma : This is Common in all types of asthma, related to poor overall control and increased reactivity.

Occupational asthma : This is often underdiagnosed, needs expert evaluation.

Cough-variant asthma : In this type of asthma cough is a common symptom and may precede airflow obstruction.

Exercise-induced asthma : In this the common precipitant, exercise may be the only significant precipitant in children.

Brittle Type 1 asthma : This is a chaotic uncontrolled asthma with very variable peak flow.

Brittle Type 2 asthma: This results in sudden severe deteriorations from a stable baseline.

Aspirin-sensitive asthma : May be associated with later onset and nasal polyps;2–3% asthmatics on history but 10–20% on formal
testing.

Churg-Strauus syndrome: An uncommon diffuse vasculitis characterised by severe persistent asthma. The initial clue may be high
eosinophilia (>1500/μl) or vasculitic involvement of
another organ.