Which respiratory condition is primarily due to chronic airway inflammation and narrowing?

Asthma is primarily characterized by chronic airway inflammation and narrowing, which contributes to the recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing that patients experience. This condition involves hyperresponsiveness of the airways to various stimuli, leading to inflammation and increased mucus production, which furthers the narrowing of the bronchial passages.

The pathophysiology involves both inflammatory cells and mediators such as eosinophils and cytokines, which exacerbate the airway obstruction. While other conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also feature airway narrowing, they typically involve long-term damage and are often associated with a history of smoking or exposure to pollutants, emphasizing emphysema and chronic bronchitis rather than the acute airway inflammation seen in asthma.

Pneumonia is an infection leading to inflammation in the alveoli, primarily affecting gas exchange rather than causing chronic airway narrowing, and pulmonary embolism involves a blockage in the pulmonary arteries, fundamentally affecting blood flow rather than the structure of the airways. Therefore, the characteristics of asthma pinpoint it as the condition primarily due to chronic airway inflammation and narrowing.