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Is airway remodeling clinically relevant in asthma?
Aili L Lazaar1, Reynold A Panettieri
1Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. alazaar@mail.med.upenn.edu
The American Journal of Medicine
|December 6, 2003
Summary
Asthma treatments help most patients, but some develop severe, irreversible asthma. This review explores airway remodeling, its cellular causes, and how current therapies impact asthma progression.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine
- Immunology
- Pathology
Background:
- Asthma's significant global social and economic burden.
- Current therapies effectively manage symptoms for most, but refractory asthma persists.
- Unanswered questions regarding airway remodeling in asthma progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review controversial aspects of airway remodeling in asthma.
- To examine the role of airway resident cells in remodeling.
- To assess biomarkers and therapy effectiveness in predicting and managing remodeling.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current research on asthma and airway remodeling.
- Analysis of studies investigating cellular contributions to remodeling.
- Evaluation of data on biomarkers and therapeutic interventions.
Main Results:
- Discussion on whether all asthma patients exhibit airway remodeling.
- Exploration of distinct airway resident cell roles in remodeling.
- Assessment of noninvasive methods for predicting remodeling.
- Review of current therapy impacts on remodeling and disease progression.
Conclusions:
- Airway remodeling is a critical factor in refractory asthma.
- Further research is needed to understand cellular mechanisms and therapeutic targets.
- Biomarkers and noninvasive tools are crucial for predicting and managing remodeling.