Results for Bronchospasm
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Sci-Tech Dictionary:

bronchospasm

(′bräŋ·kō′spaz·əm)

(medicine) Temporary narrowing of the bronchi due to violent, involuntary contraction of the smooth muscle of the bronchi.


 
 
Dental Dictionary: bronchospasm
(brong′kō-spaz′əm)
n

A spasmodic contraction of the muscular coat of the bronchial tubes such as occurs in asthma.

 

A sudden contraction of the smooth muscle lining a bronchiole, restricting airflow in and out of the lungs. It may be triggered by an allergen, as in asthma, or it may be associated with bronchitis.

 
Veterinary Dictionary: bronchospasm

Bronchial spasm; spasmodic contraction of the muscular coat of the smaller divisions of the bronchi, such as occurs in asthma.

 
Wikipedia: Bronchospasm

Bronchospasm is a difficulty in breathing caused by a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles. It is caused by the release (degranulation) of substances from mast cells or basophils under the influence of anaphylatoxins.

Bronchospasm appears as the feature of asthma, chronic bronchitis, anaphylaxis, and as a possible side-effect of the drug Pilocarpine (which is used to treat illness resulting from the ingestion of deadly nightshade as well as other things). The overactivity of the bronchioles' muscle is a result of exposure to a stimulus which under normal circumstances would cause little or no response. The resulting constriction and inflammation causes a narrowing of the airways and an increase in mucous production; this reduces the amount of oxygen that is available to the individual causing breathlessness, coughing and hypoxia (that can cause cyanosis).


 
 

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Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bronchospasm" Read more

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