EDITORIAL
Chemokines in severe exacerbations of asthma
The laws of attraction: chemokines, neutrophils and eosinophils in severe exacerbations of asthma
Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Sciences, Section of Respiratory Diseases, University of Padova, Italy
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Marina Saetta
Divisione di Pneumologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiologiche, Toraciche e Vascolari, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Giustiniani 3, 35128 Padova, Italy; marina.saetta@unipd.it
A possible new therapeutic strategy for preventing exacerbations
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Asthma is an extremely common illness which affects an estimated 300 million people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds worldwide with significant costs for healthcare systems.1 The clinical course of the disease is characterised by acute episodes of worsening of symptoms and decrease in lung function known as exacerbations. Prevention of exacerbations has been the goal of most therapeutic interventions developed so far because exacerbations seriously affect the quality of life of patients and their families.2 The clinical presentation of asthma exacerbations may be extremely heterogeneous; they can be rapid in onset or occur more gradually. The severity of asthma exacerbations is also extremely variable, ranging from mild episodes to severe attacks which result in respiratory failure and may ultimately lead to death.
Airway inflammation is a characteristic feature consistently present in patients with asthma from the early stages in children3 to elderly people.4
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