True restrictive ventilatory pattern in asthma

Abstract

Asthma is characterized by a reversible bronchial obstruction. Some patients may present a restrictive lung function pattern. Most often, this is due to extrapulmonary causes such as obesity, scoliosis, etc. As in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a "pseudorestriction," a lowered forced vital capacity (FVC) due to dynamic hyperinflation with air trapping, may be seen. This article presents two patients suffering from asthma who had an considerable impairment of total lung capacity (TLC) and FVC when their asthma was poorly controlled, showing a complete reversibility of restriction when treated properly for the asthma.