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Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is frequently associated with other medical conditions in adults, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke. Despite the huge burden, there has been little progress toward prevention and cure, possibly related to a one-size-fits-all approach.
Asthma affects > 10% of children in Australia and New Zealand (NZ), with up to 5% of those having severe disease, presenting a management challenge. We aimed to survey tertiary paediatric respiratory services across Australia and NZ using a custom-designed questionnaire, to conduct a cross-sectional observational study of the numbers of children with problematic severe asthma seen, the number treated with biologic therapy, outpatient clinic/multidisciplinary team services available, investigations and tools routinely used and approaches utilised for transition to adult care.
Early childhood wheeze is a major risk factor for asthma. However, not all children who wheeze will develop the disease. The airway epithelium has been shown to be involved in asthma pathogenesis. Despite this, the airway epithelium of children with acute wheeze remains poorly characterized.
Globally, more than 1.2 billion inhalers are purchased for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) annually. In Australia and New Zealand, pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) are the leading delivery device prescribed and pMDI salbutamol can be purchased over the counter in Australia. These inhalers are a major contributor to healthcare related greenhouse gases.
The twenty-first century has seen a fundamental shift in disease epidemiology with anthropogenic environmental change emerging as the likely dominant factor affecting the distribution and severity of current and future human disease. This is especially true of allergic diseases and asthma with their intimate relationship with the natural environment.
IgE antibodies in house dust mite (HDM) allergy follow a predictable pattern. Half are directed against two dominant allergens and the remainder largely against
The severity of allergic diseases may be modified by vitamin D. However, the immune pathways modulated by the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.
In human asthma, and experimental allergic airways disease in mice, antigen-presenting cells and CD4(+) effector cells at the airway mucosa orchestrate, and CD4
In human asthma, and experimental allergic airways disease in mice, antigen-presenting cells and CD4(+) effector cells at the airway mucosa orchestrate, and CD4
Atopic asthma, which is at its highest prevalence during childhood/young adulthood, represents the main focus of this review.