Feline bronchial asthma: Pathophysiology and diagnosis

Feline bronchial asthma is a common respiratory condition caused by altered immunosensitivity of the respiratory tract to inhaled allergens. This hyperresponsiveness causes various structural and chemical changes in the tracheobronchial tree, including adrenergic-cholinergic imbalance and abnormal mucus production. All of these modifications may manifest as commonly recognized clinical signs, most notably coughing, wheezing, and expiratory dyspnea. No pathognomonic clinical sign(s) and/or laboratory assay(s) have been identified, and definitive diagnosis of feline bronchial asthma is based on history, physical examination findings, and exclusion of other disease entities from the differential diagnosis.