PURPOSE To compare the influence of underlying airway inflammation and lung hyperinflation on dyspnea during induced bronchoconstriction in subjects with mild asthma (or asymptomatic airway hyperresponsiveness (AAHR). METHODS Fourteen mild asthmatic and 14 AAHR subjects had methacholine and 5'-adenosine monophosphate (AMP) challenges, and induced sputum analysis. Changes in inspiratory capaci...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although increasing evidence suggests involvement of the distal airway in all stages of asthma, it is not known whether structural changes (defined as airway remodelling) occur in the distal airways of subjects with mild asthma and those with atopy. The aim of this study was to compare control subjects and those with mild asthma in relation to fibroblast phenotypes and remod...

INTRODUCTION Most asthma patients have mild disease, although the burden of mild asthma is not well understood nor studied. Some evidence suggests that many patients with mild asthma experience suboptimal symptom control and exacerbations. This study characterizes the burden of illness and treatment patterns among patients with a confirmed diagnosis of mild asthma, defined as GINA Step 1 or Ste...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have indicated the benefits of adding long acting beta(2) agonists to inhaled corticosteroids in the maintenance treatment of moderate to severe asthma. The effects of adding eformoterol to corticosteroids on asthma control and exacerbations in patients with mild to moderate asthma were studied. METHODS After a run in period of 7-14 days on existing medication, 663...

BACKGROUND Lung function is a major criterion used to assess asthma control. Fluctuation analyses can account for lung function history over time, and may provide an additional dimension to characterise control. The relationships between mean and fluctuations in lung function with asthma control, exacerbation and quality of life were studied in two independent data sets. METHODS Data from 132...

Patients and methods We have studied 142 patients with asthma, diagnosed by clinical spirometric findings, attended at the Clinical Immunology outpatient service of an University Hospital. They were divided into two groups according to their asthma severity: group 1 (n=72), mild intermittent or mild persistent asthma, and group 2 (n=70) with moderate or severe asthma. They were submitted to med...

Airway inflammation in asthma consists of variably increased numbers of mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells, and there is a growing body of evidence to suggest a primary role for lymphocytes and eosinophils in the pathogenesis of asthma. The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of lymphocytes and eosinophils in the bronchial tree of cases of mild and severe asthma. In cases of ...

BACKGROUND Acute exacerbations are major drivers of COPD deterioration. However, limited data are available for the prevalence of severe exacerbations and impact of asthma on severe exacerbations, especially in patients with mild-to-moderate COPD. METHODS Patients with mild-to-moderate COPD (≥40 years) were extracted from Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2007-2012...

To improve our understanding of the inflammatory mechanisms underlying severe disease, a biopsy study was performed comparing 15 clinically unstable glucocorticoid-dependent asthmatics, 10 mild asthmatics, and 10 control subjects. Compared with mild asthma, severe asthma was characterized by reduced mucosal eosinophilia. Whilst no significant differences were found in the numbers of mast cells,...

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of systemic corticosteroid-induced morbidity in severe asthma. DESIGN Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING The primary care Optimum Patient Care Research Database and the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry. PARTICIPANTS Optimum Patient Care Research Database (7195 subjects in three age- and gender-matched groups)-severe asthma ...