Term: Asthma

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2020-07-17

Definition:

A disease in which inflammation of the airways causes airflow into and out of the lungs to be restricted. See MedlinePlus® - Health Topics - Asthma for more information.

In Chartier et al. (2016), they defined asthma as an inflammatory disorder of the airways, characterized by periodic attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. It is the most common chronic condition in children.

MCHP has defined asthma on the basis of ICD diagnoses codes and/or prescription drugs for asthma using ATC codes. Please see the Asthma - Measuring Prevalence concept for more detailed information.

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