Asthma

Asthma, full name bronchial asthma, is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by reversible airflow limitation. Asthma is recognized by the global medical community as one of the four major refractory diseases and is listed among the top ten causes of death. Epidemiological data show that there are approximately 160 million asthma patients worldwide. In China, the prevalence of asthma is 1% to 4%, with children and the elderly being the high-risk groups, showing no significant gender difference, and approximately 40% of patients have a family history. The etiology of asthma is not yet fully understood and is believed to be related to polygenic inheritance as well as environmental factors such as inhaled substances, infections, foods, medications, and climate changes. Asthma seriously endangers people's physical and mental health, reduces work capacity, lowers quality of life, is difficult to cure, and is prone to recurrent attacks. If treatment is delayed or non-standardized, asthma can be fatal. However, standardized treatment can achieve very good control in nearly 80% of asthma patients, allowing their work and daily life to be almost unaffected by the disease. The prognosis of asthma varies from person to person. Patients with mild symptoms and pediatric patients have a good prognosis; adult asthma can be controlled long-term after regular treatment; patients with severe symptoms, or those complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema or heart disease, have a poor prognosis.