Moderate obstruction of small airways refers to the obstruction of airways with a diameter of less than 2mm due to various reasons, which can generally be graded according to the lung function, in which the ratio of the first-second forced expiratory volume to lung volume (FEV1/FVC) is less than 80% as moderate.
The airway is the passageway for gases to and from the lungs and is divided into the upper and lower airways. The small airways are generally referred to as the lower airways that enter the pulmonary bronchioles from the main bronchioles and eventually branch out step by step to become the respiratory bronchioles. The respiratory bronchial tubes are gradually branching out, the diameter of the tubes is getting smaller and smaller, and there is no cartilage to support them, so the airflow speed slows down and blockage is easy to occur.
After the airway is blocked, the degree of obstruction is often indicated by pulmonary function indexes, the most important of which is FEV1/FVC, which is the ratio of the volume of exhaled gas to the lung volume in the first second of forceful inhalation followed by forceful exhalation. Mild airflow limitation is greater than or equal to 80%, moderate is 50% to 80%, severe is 30-50%, and very severe is less than 30%.
Moderate small airway obstruction can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as environmental factors, infections, asthma, tumors, and trauma. According to the causes of small airway obstruction to choose different treatments, mainly to take the cause or symptomatic treatment, such as bacterial infections caused by antibiotics such as cephalosporin, etc., asthma caused by antispasmodic and asthma drugs such as aminophylline, etc., tumors caused by feasible surgical resection treatment, etc..
If the small airway obstruction occurs, should promptly seek medical treatment, active diagnosis and treatment, in order to avoid disease progression.