Hotel-Dieu Hospital, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec.
Can Respir J. 2010 Jul-Aug;17(4):e85-93. doi: 10.1155/2010/318029.
Airway remodelling refers to the structural changes that occur in both large and small airways relevant to miscellaneous diseases including asthma. In asthma, airway structural changes include subepithelial fibrosis, increased smooth muscle mass, gland enlargement, neovascularization and epithelial alterations. Although controversial, airway remodelling is commonly attributed to an underlying chronic inflammatory process. These remodelling changes contribute to thickening of airway walls and, consequently, lead to airway narrowing, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, airway edema and mucous hypersecretion. Airway remodelling is associated with poor clinical outcomes among asthmatic patients. Early diagnosis and prevention of airway remodelling has the potential to decrease disease severity, improve control and prevent disease expression. The relationship between structural changes and clinical and functional abnormalities clearly deserves further investigation. The present review briefly describes the characteristic features of airway remodelling observed in asthma, its clinical consequences and relevance for physicians, and its modulation by therapeutic approaches used in the treatment of asthmatic patients.
气道重塑是指与包括哮喘在内的多种疾病相关的大、小气道发生的结构改变。在哮喘中，气道结构改变包括上皮下纤维化、平滑肌质量增加、腺体增大、新生血管形成和上皮改变。尽管存在争议，但气道重塑通常归因于潜在的慢性炎症过程。这些重塑变化导致气道壁增厚，进而导致气道狭窄、支气管高反应性、气道水肿和黏液分泌过多。气道重塑与哮喘患者的不良临床结局相关。早期诊断和预防气道重塑有可能降低疾病严重程度、改善控制并预防疾病发作。结构变化与临床和功能异常之间的关系显然值得进一步研究。本文简要描述了哮喘中观察到的气道重塑的特征、其临床后果以及对医生的意义，以及其对哮喘患者治疗中使用的治疗方法的调节。
