The Reid index is used in diagnosing which chronic lung condition?

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Multiple Choice

The Reid index is used in diagnosing which chronic lung condition?

The Reid index measures the thickness of the mucous gland layer relative to the bronchial wall. In chronic bronchitis, glands in the bronchi undergo hypertrophy and secrete more mucus, so the gland layer becomes thicker and the Reid index increases. A Reid index above about 0.4 supports chronic bronchitis as the diagnosis. Emphysema centers on destruction of alveolar walls, not gland hypertrophy, so this index isn’t used for it. Asthma involves airway hyperreactivity and remodeling but isn’t defined by mucous gland thickness in the same way, and pneumonia is an acute infection, not a chronic glandular change. Therefore, the Reid index is most relevant for diagnosing chronic bronchitis.

The Reid index measures the thickness of the mucous gland layer relative to the bronchial wall. In chronic bronchitis, glands in the bronchi undergo hypertrophy and secrete more mucus, so the gland layer becomes thicker and the Reid index increases. A Reid index above about 0.4 supports chronic bronchitis as the diagnosis. Emphysema centers on destruction of alveolar walls, not gland hypertrophy, so this index isn’t used for it. Asthma involves airway hyperreactivity and remodeling but isn’t defined by mucous gland thickness in the same way, and pneumonia is an acute infection, not a chronic glandular change. Therefore, the Reid index is most relevant for diagnosing chronic bronchitis.

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