Asthma: New Mediators and Old Problems

Abstract

Rapid development and persistence of reversible airway obstruction, in response to stimuli that fail to affect normal persons, are the principal disturbances of pulmonary function in patients affected by the diseases termed "asthma." All other features of the disorder, including the eliciting stimuli, distribution of airway obstruction, contributions of inflammation, abnormalities in epithelial and glandular secretions, and responses to treatment, are highly variable among patients. It follows that the relative pathogenetic roles of chemical mediators, imbalances in pulmonary neurologic influences, and numerous other factors in the maintenance of airway hyperreactivity may also differ among patients.Despite the heterogeneity of cause . . .