Which disease is characterized by shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, and wheezing, often worse at night and triggered by URI, exercise, and inhaled allergens?

• A. Asthma
• B. COPD
• C. Pneumonia
• D. Pulmonary edema

Answer: (A)

The pattern described—shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, and wheezing that tends to worsen at night and is triggered by URI, exercise, and inhaled allergens—is classic for asthma. This reflects airway hyperresponsiveness and episodic, reversible airway obstruction driven by inflammatory processes in the airways, often with an atopic or allergic basis. The nocturnal worsening aligns with circadian changes in airway tone and inflammation, and triggers like allergens and exercise provoke bronchoconstriction.

This differs from other conditions: COPD typically involves chronic, progressive dyspnea often with a long history of smoking and less pronounced nocturnal symptoms; pneumonia presents with infection signs such as fever and a productive cough with localized consolidation on exam or imaging; pulmonary edema causes dyspnea with orthopnea and crackles from fluid overload.