Which term describes an exacerbation of a known respiratory disease?

• A. Asthma attack
• B. Pneumonia
• C. Asthma exacerbation
• D. COPD flare

Answer: (C)

An exacerbation is a worsening beyond a patient’s usual day-to-day variability in a chronic respiratory disease. In asthma, triggers such as viruses, allergens, or irritants cause increased airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction, leading to more cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. When these symptoms worsen enough to change management or require more intensive therapy, we label it an asthma exacerbation. The term “asthma attack” is common in everyday language and describes an acute episode, but the formal clinical description that fits the stem is an asthma exacerbation. Pneumonia is an infection with inflammation of the lung tissue, not a flare of a chronic condition, and a COPD flare is the equivalent term used for COPD rather than asthma, so the asthma-specific exacerbation best fits the question.