Asthma Management Quiz

Diagnosis of Respiratory Disorders

• The majority of respiratory system diseases present with cough and/or dyspnea, falling into three main categories: obstructive, restrictive, and vascular.
• Obstructive diseases, the most frequent, involve airway problems like asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, and bronchiolitis.
• Restrictive diseases include parenchymal lung, chest wall, and neuromuscular issues.
• Pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, and venoocclusive disease are vascular disorders.
• History is crucial-inquire about symptom onset, duration, and associated activities.
• Dyspnea symptoms can be indicative of numerous etiologies; “chest tightness” suggests obstructive lung disease, while “air hunger” is more common in heart failure.
• Acute shortness of breath usually points to sudden physiologic changes (e.g., airway narrowing, mucus plugging, pulmonary edema, or pulmonary embolism).
• Chronic dyspnea often progresses gradually with exacerbations in conditions like COPD and IPF.
• Cough duration, sputum characteristics (quantity, color, blood presence), and triggers should be investigated.
• Additional symptoms like wheezing (suggesting airway disease) or hemoptysis (indicating infections or lung cancer) deserve thorough evaluation.

Diagnostic Evaluation

• Physical examination (vital signs, inspection, percussion, auscultation) provides essential information.
• Pulmonary function tests (e.g., spirometry, lung volumes, diffusion capacity) help assess airflow and gas exchange.
• Chest imaging (e.g., x-ray, CT) aids in identifying structural abnormalities, consolidations, or fluid collections.
• Blood and sputum analysis (including microbiology and serology) are crucial for detecting infections, inflammatory markers, or malignancies.
• Additional tests (bronchoscopy, biopsy) are performed based on the clinical suspicion for more specific diagnoses.