[Thoughts of a philosophic nature on the definition of intrinsic asthma].

Qualification of intrinsic asthma is badly tabulated and subject to significant variations, according to the group of workers. Most often, the terminology "intrinsic" is used for all varieties of asthma that are not allergic. The term therefore is becoming erroneous in a physio-pathological and philosophical context. The two entities of intrinsic and extrinsic asthma should henceforth be well differentiated so that they correspond to very precise clinical and therapeutic characteristics, that reflect the method of etiological-pathological aggression. In this way, extrinsic asthma is that of an asthmatic subject who presents a state of pre-disposition to asthma and for whom the triggering extrinsic co-factor is linked to inhalation aggression. Intrinsic asthma is associated with a state of predisposition to bronchospasm with a triggering intrinsic factor that is not linked to the external environment.