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Overview of Nocturnal Asthma

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Fokus — Atemwegserkrankungen heute

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Abstract

Nocturnal and early morning wheezing have been recognized since the first known descriptions of asthma. The English physician Dr. John Floyer, in 1698, clearly described his own attacks of asthma, which for a considerable time occurred only at night [1]. Nocturnal asthma remains a common and troublesome symptom which may prove difficult to treat; a recent survey showed that as many as 75% of all asthmatics attending a hospital clinic admitted to nocturnal wheeze and cough [2]. Patients commonly present with nocturnal wheeze and cough, and may have no symptoms during the day, so that the diagnosis may be overlooked. Asthmatics sleep less well than normal subjects, with greater periods of wakefulness and drowsiness. The clinical importance of this symptom is emphasised by the finding that many sudden deaths and episodes of ventilatory arrest occur at night [3], and in a prospective study of high risk asthmatics the two deaths occurred in patients with marked “morning dips” [4].

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Authors
  1. P. J. Barnes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mundipharma GmbH, D-6250, Limburg, Germany

    Uwe Dethlefsen (Medizinisch-Wissenschaftlicher Leiter) (Medizinisch-Wissenschaftlicher Leiter)

  2. Abteilung Pulmologie, Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Hugstetter Straße 55, D-7800, Freiburg, Germany

    Heinrich Matthys (Ärztlicher Direktor) (Ärztlicher Direktor)

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© 1987 Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York

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Barnes, P.J. (1987). Overview of Nocturnal Asthma. In: Dethlefsen, U., Matthys, H. (eds) Fokus — Atemwegserkrankungen heute. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-72768-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-72768-9_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-17958-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-72768-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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