Asthma: 2015 and Beyond

Abstract

SummaryAsthma is a multifactorial, chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. The knowledge that asthma is an inflammatory disorder has become a core fundamental in the definition of asthma. Asthma's chief features include a variable degree of air-flow obstruction and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, in addition to the underlying chronic airways inflammation. This underlying chronic airway inflammation substantially contributes to airway hyper-responsiveness, air-flow limitation, respiratory symptoms, and disease chronicity. However, this underlying chronic airway inflammation has implications for the diagnosis, management, and potential prevention of the disease. This review for the respiratory therapy community summarizes these developments as well as providing an update on asthma epidemiology, natural history, cause, and pathogenesis. This paper also provides an overview on appropriate diagnostic and monitoring strategies for asthma, pharmacology, and newer therapies for the future as well as relevant management of acute and ambulatory asthma, and a brief review of educational approaches.

Pediatric Asthma ManagementThe authors respond:

“…1 In the section regarding emergency department (ED) treatment the authors assert that it's widely accepted that a treatment given via small-volume nebulizer (SVN) is preferred over metered-dose inhaler (MDI) with spacer. Pediatric patients and parents overwhelmingly prefer MDI with spacer to SVN (84% for parents and 82% for patients).…”

Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care: What Does the Future Hold?

“…54 Unlike many of the other topics presented, the field of pediatric asthma has substantial definitive data to guide clinical management. 54 Any discussion of asthma must involve the epidemiology and pathophysiology.…”

“…54 Unlike many of the other topics presented, the field of pediatric asthma has substantial definitive data to guide clinical management. 54 Any discussion of asthma must involve the epidemiology and pathophysiology. There is a clear disproportion among the general population; however, it remains unclear whether this finding is predominantly genetic or environmental.…”

Controversies Surrounding the Potential Use of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Asthma

“…Asthma is a multifaceted, chronic inflammatory condition of the airways [1]. It is widely considered as a T-helper (Th)2 type inflammatory disorder typically associated with atopy [2,3].…”