Curschmann's spirals

Curschmann's spiral

Curschmann's spirals refers to a finding in the sputum of asthmatics which are spiral shaped mucus plugs from subepithelial mucous gland ducts or bronchioles. These may occur in several different lung diseases.^[1]

The term can refer to parts of the desquamated epithelium seen in biopsies from asthmatic patients.^[2] They are named after German physician Heinrich Curschmann (1846-1910). They are often seen in association with creola bodies and Charcot-Leyden crystals. They are an elongated cast from small bronchi, which are often found in sputum samples from patients with bronchial asthma. They can be stretched out to a length of around 2cm, and can sometimes be longer. They have a central core that is ensheathed in cell debris and mucus. {3}

References

^ Cenci M, Giovagnoli MR, Alderisio M, Vecchione A (November 1998). "Curschmann's spirals in sputum of subjects exposed daily to urban environmental pollution". Diagn. Cytopathol. 19 (5): 349–51.
^ "Curschmann's spiral in sputum from asthma patient". Retrieved 2008-11-25.

Symptoms and signs relating to the respiratory system (R04–R07, 786)

Auscultation

Breathing

Rate	Apnea Dyspnea Hyperventilation Hypoventilation Hyperpnea Tachypnea Hypopnea Bradypnea

Pattern	Biot's respiration Cheyne–Stokes respiration Kussmaul breathing

Other	Respiratory distress Respiratory arrest Orthopnea/Platypnea Trepopnea Asphyxia Breath holding Mouth breathing Snoring

Other

Chest pain
- Precordial catch syndrome
- Pleurisy
Clubbing
- Schamroth's window test
- Hippocratic fingers
Cyanosis
Cough
Sputum
Hemoptysis
Epistaxis
Silhouette sign
Post-nasal drip
Hiccup
COPD
- Hoover's sign
asthma
- Curschmann's spirals
- Charcot–Leyden crystals
chronic bronchitis
- Reid index
sarcoidosis
- Kveim test
pulmonary embolism
- Hampton hump
- Westermark sign
pulmonary edema
- Kerley lines
Hamman's sign
Golden S sign

Index of the respiratory system

Description	Anatomy

Disease	Infection

Treatment	Drugs

[3] Academic Dictionaries; Academic 2014

Categories

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Curschmann's spirals