Is Small Airway Dysfunction a Common Condition?

1. Small airway dysfunction is a common condition and represents a pathophysiological state with normal conventional ventilatory function. Clinical manifestations are nonspecific and may include the absence of symptoms, cough, and phlegm.

2. Generally, lung function tests can indicate the presence of small airway dysfunction in patients. Individuals prone to this condition are associated with factors such as long-term smoking and poor external environments. Small airway dysfunction arises from either lesions within the small airways themselves or decreased elastic function of lung tissue.

3. Complications include: Most patients with bronchial asthma develop it, and small airway dysfunction has predictive value for bronchial asthma. A minority of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) develop it; emphysema and lung elastic dysfunction can also lead to small airway dysfunction, such as in emphysema.

4. If only localized small airway dysfunction exists and does not affect respiratory movement, appropriate exercise can be performed to increase lung capacity. In cases of respiratory impairment, timely diagnosis and treatment are essential, with the treatment goals being to improve symptoms and delay disease progression.