BACKGROUND The prevalence of asthma has increased in western countries towards the end of the last century, but recently seems to have stabilized. OBJECTIVE To evaluate trends in the prevalence and severity of asthma that occurred in Israel over the past decade. METHODS The medical records of 17-year-old boys, eligible for national service, between 1999 and 2008 were reviewed. National annu...

Background This asthma guideline update focuses on the management of individuals with at mild end spectrum. It applies to children 1 year age and over adults. was initiated address new clinical trials in this patient group as well changes recommendations from Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) strategy group. current evidence Canadian context.Methods A representative multidisciplinary panel ex...

The natural history of asthma appears to be driven primarily by the timing and duration of viral respiratory infections. From the very high rate of infections in childhood, to the more sporadic pattern seen in adults, the cycle of acute injury followed by an inefficient repair process helps explain the clinical patterns of asthma severity currently recognized by asthma guidelines. Why the asthm...

Over a 25 year period, 31 asthmatic children received artificial ventilation for acute asthma at Alder Hey Children's Hospital on 48 occasions. Altogether 47 episodes occurred from 1971-89, with no decline in the number of episodes per year (mean 2.5) over this period. Eight children died during intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV), and of the 23 survivors, three further children h...

Asthma results from allergen-driven intrapulmonary Th2 response, and is characterized by intermittent airway obstruction, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), and airway inflammation. Accumulating evidence indicates that inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract are commonly associated with elevated production of nitric oxide (NO). It has been shown that exhaled NO may be derived from constitutiv...

BACKGROUND Corticosteroids (CS) are widely used in the treatment of asthma, allergic disorders and other immunological diseases due to their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. Physicians seldom suspect them of causing allergic reactions. However, more and more cases of hypersensitivity reactions to CS have been described. Reports of delayed allergic reactions to CS in patients ...

Background. Proximity to heavy traffic has been linked to increased asthma severity. However, it is unknown whether exposure to heavy traffic is associated with the ability to maintain asthma control. Objectives. This study examines whether exposure to heavy traffic is associated with the ability to maintain asthma control in inner-city children. Methods. 756 inner-city asthmatic Hispanic child...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the Portuguese version of the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is a valid instrument to measure asthma control in adult outpatients in Brazil. METHODS We selected 278 outpatients diagnosed with asthma. All of the patients completed the questionnaire, underwent spirometry and were clinically evaluated by a physician in order to characterize the control of the di...

Asthma is a common chronic disease characterized by intermittent chest symptoms, variable airways obstruction, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Research performed over the past one to two decades has sought to better understand the heterogeneous clinical nature of asthma. Whereas older attempts at phenotyping asthma emphasized the duality of allergic vs. non-allergic asthma, more recent non-b...

Intermittent airflow limitation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), airway inflammation and remodelling are key pathophysiological components of bronchial asthma [1]. BHR, an abnormal increase in airflow limitation following exposure to a stimulus, is present in almost all patients with clinically current asthma. Furthermore, patients with more severe asthma have more responsive airways than ...