Asthma Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 06:19

Asthma is an inflammation-based condition that affects the airways via:

• Airway inflammation
• Airway obstruction
• hyperresponsiveness of the airways 

Asthma leads to a persistent and potentially chronic inflamed and thickened airway wall with increased mucus production compared to a normal airway. During an asthmatic attack, airways become more obstructed as smooth muscle reacts and contracts, causing a constriction of the wall and narrowing of the airway.

Pharmacological intervention is used to support the acute inflammatory response in asthma. This is typically accomplished with both short and long-acting beta-agonists to improve ventilation. These are stimulants so they also increase HR and BP responses and help to increase exercise capacity. However, they do elevate HR and make it a bit more difficult to use as a prescription variable.

In addition, these beta-agonists may be used as rescue relief during the rapid onset of asthma-like symptoms, but can also be used as more of a long-term control.

Finally, corticosteroids can be used to help with the inflammatory responses associated with asthma but in turn may cause muscle weakness, fragility and negatively impact bone density.