| Occupational asthma with a latency period | Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome and irritant-induced asthma | |
| Latency period | Present | Absent |
| Diagnosis | Various - eg, peak expiratory flow monitoring, specific inhalation challenges; IgE-mediated allergy if suspected agent is of a high-molecular-weight nature | History; pulmonary function testing |
| Pathology | Similar to asthma | Acute: epithelial shedding and hemorrhage |
| Chronic: regeneration of epithelial cells; few lymphocytes and neutrophils; increased collagen deposition and thickness of basement membrane | ||
| Pulmonary function testing | Better reversibility to bronchodilator | Less reversibility to bronchodilator |
