British researchers have identified a new cause of asthma damage, which is damage to the cells that line the airways during an attack, the BBC reports.
One million Romanians have asthma – Photo Shutterstock
The cells that line the airways are pressed to the point of destruction during an asthma attack, researchers say.
The airways of people with asthma are sensitive to triggers such as pollen, pets and exercise, leading to inflammation and swelling, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
According to scientists at Kings College London, drugs that prevent this could break the cycle of damage, rather than just managing its consequences.
Thus, existing asthma treatments can reduce inflammation and keep the airways open. Over time, repeated attacks can cause permanent scarring and narrowing.
The discovery of this new cause of lung damage in asthma could have a significant impact on the future development of treatments.
During an asthma attack, the muscle that surrounds the airways begins to tighten and tighten, which is called bronchoconstriction.
The team from Kings College London studied this process in detail, using mice and human lung tissue samples. Lead researcher Professor Jody Rosenblatt says the bronchoconstriction damaged the lining of the airways, leading to long-term inflammation, wound healing and infections causing more attacks. Until now, this mucosal damage had been overlooked, she added, according to the BBC.
“This epithelial lining is the body's first line of defense against things like infection, and yet it is damaged during asthma attacks”, said Professor Rosenblatt.
“There's a constant wound that occurs – it's a vicious cycle. If we can block the damage, hopefully we can prevent the attacks from happening again.“, said the researcher.
Need for new treatments
Now, scientists are working on a preventative treatment that seems to help, at least according to tests on mice. But the development of such a drug could take years.
Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “This discovery opens important new doors to explore possible new treatment options that people with asthma desperately need.”
According to the charity, it is crucial that people diagnosed with asthma continue to use their prescribed medicines correctly. For many of them, proper management of the disease can allow them to lead a normal life without the symptoms affecting their daily activities.
“We know that there are many people for whom existing asthma treatments do not work as well, so it is vital that we continue to fund research to find new treatments that better tackle the causes of asthma“, she adds.
In the UK, more than five million people suffer from asthma, around one in 12 adults and one in 11 children.
In our country, the latest data show that almost one million people suffer from asthma. It is serious that the mortality rate caused by asthma in Romania is 50% higher than that at the European level, i.e. 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.
