 Depending upon various aspects of severity, chronicity seasonal variation
and predominant aggravating factors asthma is classified in to various
types.
Season
- Seasonal asthma
This occurs only during a specified season of the year (often due to
pollen, spores, or climate).
- Perennial Asthma
Continues round the year.
Allergen
- Atopic or extrinsic asthma
Also known as allergic or extrinsic asthma. Patients of this category
usually suffer from some other allergic disease such as skin allergy,
eye allergy or nose allergy. Asthma of this nature gets aggravated by
allergic agents.
- Non atopic asthma or Intrinsic asthma
Also called non allergic asthma. Patients of this category do not have
any other allergic disease and their asthma is usually not aggravated
by allergic triggers.
Trigger
- Exercise induced asthma
- Occupational asthma
- octurnal asthma
For some people with asthma, asthma attacks have nothing to do with allergies.
Although these people get the same symptoms and have the same changes
in their airways as patients with allergic asthma, their asthma is not
triggered by allergies. However, like any patient with asthma, asthma
attacks may be triggered or made worse by one or more non allergic asthma
triggers including materials (irritants) in the air you breathe, such
as tobacco smoke, wood smoke, room deodorizers, pine odors, fresh paint,
household cleaning products, cooking odors, workplace chemicals, perfumes,
and outdoor air pollution. Respiratory infections, such as the common
cold, the flu, or a sinus infection may also give you symptoms. Finally,
exercise, cold air, sudden changes in air temperature, and even gastroesophageal
reflux (heartburn) may be triggers for people with non-allergic asthma.
Severity
Recent research shows that there is no difference in basic pathology
types of asthma and thus the above mentioned style of classification does
not help much in the therapy. Therefore, the classification of asthma
has been done also on the basis of severity and chronicity of the disease
and the treatment guidelines are based on that. |
