Question

The pulmonary disease where the lungs lose their elasticity so that air is trapped and ventilation becomes ineffective is

	a.	extrinsic allergic alveolitis
	b.	asthma
	c.	asbestosis
	d.	emphysema

Answer 1

Correct option is d. emphysema.
pulmonary emphysema as combination of permanent dilatation of air spaces distal to the terminal bronchioles and the destruction of the walls of dilated air spaces.

b.Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory condition of the lung airways, the cause of which is incompletely understood. It has three characteristics: airflow limitation, airway hyperresponsiveness to a range of stimuli and inflammation of the bronchi. Airflow limitation is usually reversible, either spontaneously or with treatment; in chronic asthma it may be irreversible as a result of airway wall remodelling and mucus impaction.The primary abnormality in asthma is narrowing of the airway, which is due to smooth muscle contraction, thickening of the airway wall by cellular infiltration and inflammation, and the presence of secretions within the airway lumen. The pathogenesis of asthma is complex and not fully understood. It involves a num- ber of cells, mediators, nerves and vascular leakage which can be activated by several mechanisms, of which exposure to allergens is the most relevant.