Asthma Exam Essay Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definition, symptoms, physiological mechanisms, receptor actions, triggers, and risk factors of asthma based on lecture notes.

Asthma

A chronic condition in which the airways become inflamed and overly sensitive, causing coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath that vary over time.

Bronchoconstriction

The tightening of the smooth muscles in the airways during an asthma attack.

Goblet cells

Cells that produce excess mucus during an asthma attack.

Muscarinic receptor stimulation

Stimulation that causes the airways to narrow.

Beta-2 receptor stimulation

Stimulation that relaxes airway muscles and widens them.

Triggers of an asthma attack

Factors including pollen, dust, cigarette smoke, or respiratory infections that cause changes in the airways.

Three main changes during an asthma attack

Airway walls become inflamed and swollen, smooth muscles tighten (bronchoconstriction), and goblet cells produce excess mucus.

Risk factors for asthma

A family history of asthma or allergies, premature birth, childhood respiratory infections, obesity, exposure to smoke or pollution, poor housing, and workplace dust or chemicals.