Asthma Terms Glossary

Asthma is not just a single term to know. There are many things that are associated with asthma that you must know if someone from your closed circle is suffering from this respiratory health condition. Here is the complete glossary that is associated to asthma. It contains lingo involving treatments, medications and many other medical info.

• Allergens: This is the substance that leads to the allergic reaction; also known as trigger.
• Atopic asthma or allergic asthma: This is the asthma that is a result of allergic response to the allergens like pollen, dander, mold or dust.
• Asthma: A condition in which the airways become sensitive and swollen causing trouble in breathing and cause wheezing.
• Asthma action plan: It the rough plan ruled out by the doctor or by you to describe the daily activities that you should carry out to manage asthma. The plan includes the ways in which you respond to the symptoms and changes in the peak flow and emergencies.
• Asthma attack: An emergency that commence when the symptoms of asthma exacerbate, peak flow drops and the patient requires more medicines to control the symptoms. It is also known as flare- up or exacerbation.
• Bronchospasm or bronchoconstriction: It is a condition where the muscles that surround the airways tighten.
• Bronchodilator: Adrenaline related medicines that relax muscles surrounding airways and let them open up. They are SABAs (short acting beta- 2 antagonists like albuterol and LABAs (long acting beta-2 antagonists).
• Chronic asthma: present at some level every day.
• Controller medicine: Medicine that is taken regularly to control asthma symptoms.
• Dry- powder inhaler: Inhalers that contain medicine. When the patient draws in breathe, the medicine reaches his system.
• Episodic asthma: Asthma occurring in response to allergens.
• Exacerbation: Flare- up of asthma symptoms.
• Exercise-induced asthma: Symptoms of asthma that triggers after exercise.
• Immunomodulators: Medicine that controls immune response leading to asthma symptoms.
• Inflammation: Redness, swelling and excess fluid like mucus that occurs in the body part when the immune system responds to any irritant.
• Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS): Medications preventing airways inflammation.
• Inhaler: a small device that gives you a specific dose of the medication that is inhaled into the lungs.
• Leukotriene modifiers: These are the medications that block leukotrienes from adding up to the inflammatory response of the airways.
• Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs): Inhalers that pump the medicine dose from pressurized canister.
• Nebulizer: It is portable air generator which diffuses a medical dose and gives out in the form of fine mist via a mouthpiece or mask.
• Occupational asthma: Work induced asthma that is caused when the work environment exposes you to something that can lead to asthma.
• Peak expiratory flow (PEF) or peak flow measurement: Measurement via peak flow meter to rule out the force using which you can breathe many times. It is a crucial aspect in asthma action plan.
• Peak flow meter: A device that measures the force of breath when a person exhales.
• Rescue inhaler: An inhaler- delivered SABA (short acting beta- 2 antagonist) to offer immediate relief from the symptoms of asthma.
• Spacer: It is a ring that creates some distance between the mouth of the patient and inhaler to improve medication delivery to the lungs.
• Spirometry: A breathing test that is performed to assess that lung function.
• Trigger: Anything that cause the symptoms of asthma like inflammation and swelling.
• Wheeze: A sound that can be heard when a person breathes in or out. This indicates that a person has a blockage or the airways are narrow.