Toward a comprehensive understanding of allergic lung disease.

David Corry, Farrah Kheradmand

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    16 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Allergic asthma is a respiratory disease induced by exposure to environmental agents that elicit allergic inflammation and transient airway obstruction and which produce the characteristic symptoms of cough and dyspnea. Prior to the advent of experimental models, asthma was believed to be caused primarily by the degranulation of mast cells and eosinophils primed by antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE). More recent studies in mice have shown that T cells primarily mediate antigen-dependent airway obstruction and allergic inflammation through secretion of the cytokines interleukin 4 (IL- 4) and IL-13. Our additional studies indicate that a major environmental link to asthma may be through exposure to environmental proteinases and especially airway infection by proteinase-producing organisms such as fungi. Pending verification in humans, these findings suggest entirely new therapeutic interventions in asthma that include the restricted use of anti-inflammatory therapy and universal application of anti-fungal agents.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)33-48
    Number of pages16
    JournalTransactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association
    Volume120
    StatePublished - Jan 1 2009

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Medicine

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