Asthma is a very common chronic disease involving the respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict, become inflamed, and are lined with excessive amounts of mucus, often in response to one or more triggers. In children, the most common triggers are viral illnesses, such as those that cause the common cold and identifiable allergies. This airway narrowing causes symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. While measurement of airway function is possible for adults, most new cases are diagnosed in children who are unable to perform such tests. Diagnosis in children is based on a careful compilation and analysis of the patient's medical history and subsequent improvement with an inhaled bronchodilator medication. This 2nd edition will provide clinicians with an update on the management of asthma, and will include new sections covering paediatric asthma, new treatment strategies, and updated management guidelines (including new British Thoracic Society BTS] guidelines).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an all too common lung condition which varies markedly in severity between individuals. The term COPD covers conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and around 80% of cases are believed to develop as a result of smoking. Lung problems, which often fail to improve significantly over time, cause symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, coughing, a reduced ability to exercise, and frequent chest infections.
COPD: The Facts is written primarily for sufferers and their families, and will help readers to understand the disease and its symptoms. The book describes in detail how COPD is diagnosed and covers tests and treatments that patients are likely to experience. It dicusses modern approaches to the problems COPD sufferers experience and provides and up-to-date and informative guide to the disease. Examples of patients' experiences are included throughout the text to illustrate the problems faced by people with COPD, and advice is offered to help sufferers improve their overall quality of life.