A 9-year-old male presents to the emergency room complaining of "chest tightness" and difficulty breathing. The RN notes that he is frequently coughing and wheezes are ausculated in all lung fields. His chest x-ray shows a flattened diaphragm and overexpanded lungs. The patient's mother reports that he had five episodes like this one over the past few years, but none this bad. Recently, the patient has had more frequent episodes of difficulty breathing and coughing, each lasting for a few hours. He does not take any medications at home.
-Asthma is classified as what type of reaction?

Question

A 9-year-old male presents to the emergency room complaining of "chest tightness" and difficulty breathing. The RN notes that he is frequently coughing and wheezes are ausculated in all lung fields. His chest x-ray shows a flattened diaphragm and overexpanded lungs. The patient's mother reports that he had five episodes like this one over the past few years, but none this bad. Recently, the patient has had more frequent episodes of difficulty breathing and coughing, each lasting for a few hours. He does not take any medications at home. 
-Asthma is classified as what type of reaction?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Asthma is classified as atopy, which is a genetic predisposition to develop allergic diseases such as asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis. Atopy is characterized by an exaggerated immune response to allergens, leading to inflammation and airway constriction in asthma. Systemic anaphylaxis, acute allergic and cutaneous anaphylaxis are different types of allergic reactions but are not the classification of asthma.

A 9-Year-Old Male Presents to the Emergency Room Complaining of "Chest