Asthma is a chronic disease, but the expected rate of spontaneous remission of asthma and the stability of diagnosis is largely unknown. Recently a study published in a renowned journal (JAMA medicine) determined whether the diagnosis of current asthma could be ruled out or if it is feasible to stop the asthma medications safely in adults who had physician-diagnosed asthma. These observations may be helpful for the practicing pulmonologist and immunologist.
Asthma is characterized by chronic airway inflammation that results in respiratory symptoms like a wheeze, dyspnea, chest tightness or a cough that vary over time along with variable expiratory airflow. Generally, asthma can be confirmed by expiratory airflow but due to the varied clinical presentation and causative factors, it is difficult to differentiate between atopic, non-allergic, and late-onset asthma. Furthermore, asthma can…
