Sykes Annemarie, Johnston Sebastian L
Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, MRC and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, MRC and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Oct;122(4):685-688. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2008.08.017.
Asthma exacerbations are common, and the major morbidity, mortality, and health care costs associated with asthma are related to exacerbations. The majority are related to viral infection, and although progress has been made in identifying the mechanisms of virus-induced asthma exacerbations, there is still much to be learned. Allergen exposure causes some exacerbations and can participate in virus-induced exacerbations, as can other environmental exposures. A role for atypical bacterial infection in exacerbations is also increasingly recognized. Exacerbations are characterized by airway inflammation, which can differ in type depending on whether it is primarily infective or allergic in origin. An increased understanding of the inflammatory pathways might lead to identification of targets for the development of novel prevention or treatment strategies.
哮喘急性发作很常见，与哮喘相关的主要发病率、死亡率和医疗费用都与急性发作有关。大多数急性发作与病毒感染有关，尽管在确定病毒诱发哮喘急性发作的机制方面已取得进展，但仍有许多有待了解。接触过敏原会导致一些急性发作，并可参与病毒诱发的急性发作，其他环境暴露因素也会如此。非典型细菌感染在急性发作中的作用也越来越受到认可。急性发作的特征是气道炎症，根据其主要起源是感染性还是过敏性，炎症类型可能有所不同。对炎症途径的进一步了解可能会有助于确定新的预防或治疗策略的开发靶点。
