Term asthma not sufficient to describe respiratory disorders.

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Call to scrap the term 'asthma' Not all asthma is the sameThe term 'asthma' should be abolished because it is incorrect and misleading, claims a leading medical journal. Asthma is not a single disease, but a group of syndromes with different origins and characteristics and so it is best to scrap the name, it says. In the same edition of The Lancet, researchers report that the prevalence

of childhood allergies is increasing worldwide. And allergic children are more prone to asthma, experts warn. A collection of disorders An estimated 300 million people live with asthma worldwide. This is expected to increase to 400 million by 2025. Despite effective treatments, asthma deaths account for one in 250 deaths globally and there remains a great deal to be known about the group of conditions dubbed asthma, says the Lancet. Asthma includes a range of different symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing. The underlying cause is inflammation of the airways. But it is not known what triggers this inflammation and why some people develop asthma and others do not. Asthma is indeed a complex ailment Dr Andrew Miller of the British Lung Foundation The Lancet says people with asthma can have a range of different triggers, symptoms and responses to treatment, and the general consensus now emerging is that asthma is unlikely to be a single disease entity. "Perhaps asthma as a symptom is really only the clinical manifestation of several distinct diseases. "Rather than confusing scientists, doctors and patients even further, is it not time to step out of the straightjacket of a seemingly unifying name that has outlived its usefulness?" it asks.

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