Diagnosis and treatment practice of chest tightness variant asthma in China

Chest tightness variant asthma (CTVA) is an atypical form of asthma, characterized by chest tightness as the primary symptom, without the typical asthma symptoms， such as recurrent wheezing and shortness of breath. Since it was first reported and named internationally in 2013, CTVA has gradually been recognized by clinical physicians in China and has undergone extensive clinical practice. As for diagnosis of CTVA ，doctors should integrate symptoms of chest tightness and objective evidence of variable airflow restriction, exclude chest tightness caused by other diseases, and find effective results of asthma treatment in patients. The treatment principle of CTVA is similar to that of typical asthma. An appropriate initial treatment level should be selected based on the patient's chest tightness attack, and the stepwise treatment plan should be followed for upgrade and downgrade treatment. Based on clinical diagnosis and treatment practices, this article systematically introduces the diagnostic criteria, diagnostic procedures, management evaluation, and treatment plans of CTVA,which is to help clinical physicians in standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of CTVA.