Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Expert Rev Respir Med. 2012 Aug;6(4):441-9. doi: 10.1586/ers.12.40.
Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in developed countries, with steady increases in asthma prevalence evident, particularly in the last few decades. As genetic factors are unlikely to contribute to the rise in asthma prevalence, changes in lifestyle and exposure to environmental stimuli have been proposed to account for this trend. The 'disappearing microbiota' hypothesis postulates that major shifts in the human microbiome, resulting from dramatic lifestyle changes, account for the increase in asthma prevalence. In this context, persistent gastric colonization with the human-specific pathogen Helicobacter pylori has been negatively associated with the occurrence of asthma in epidemiological studies. In addition, experimental models of allergic airway disease revealed a direct link between infection with H. pylori and suppression of allergic airway disease through the induction of regulatory T cells. These and other new insights hold the promise of opening up new avenues toward the development of innovative, new strategies directed at asthma treatment and prevention.
哮喘是发达国家最常见的慢性疾病之一，哮喘发病率呈稳步上升趋势，尤其是在过去几十年。由于遗传因素不太可能导致哮喘发病率的上升，因此有人提出生活方式的改变和接触环境刺激物是导致这种趋势的原因。“消失的微生物群”假说认为，由于生活方式的急剧变化，人类微生物组发生重大转变，导致哮喘发病率上升。在这种情况下，在流行病学研究中，幽门螺杆菌（一种人类特有的病原体）在胃中的持续定植与哮喘的发生呈负相关。此外，过敏性气道疾病的实验模型揭示了幽门螺杆菌感染与通过诱导调节性 T 细胞抑制过敏性气道疾病之间的直接联系。这些和其他新的见解有望为哮喘治疗和预防的创新策略的发展开辟新途径。
