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The purpose of this review is to examine the role of innate immunity in the lungs in the development of allergy and asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood and the leading cause of childhood morbidity from chronic disease as measured by school absences...
With the emergence of allergic and autoimmune diseases in populations that have started to transit to a western lifestyle, there has been an increasing...
For 20 years, the hygiene hypothesis has dominated attempts to explain the increasing prevalence of allergic disease. A causal link between maternal innate immu
The glutathione S-transferase enzymes (GSTs) play an important role in the detoxification of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), which contributes to airway infl
IgE antibodies in house dust mite (HDM) allergy follow a predictable pattern. Half are directed against two dominant allergens and the remainder largely against
One in eight children have asthma, a chronic disease of the airways in the lungs. It results in shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing and coughing.
The airway epithelium is the primary structural and functional airway barrier and orchestrates innate immunity. Some children may have underlying epithelial vulnerabilities that contribute to the pathogenesis of acute wheeze and asthma.
Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is frequently associated with other medical conditions in adults, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke. Despite the huge burden, there has been little progress toward prevention and cure, possibly related to a one-size-fits-all approach.
Asthma affects > 10% of children in Australia and New Zealand (NZ), with up to 5% of those having severe disease, presenting a management challenge. We aimed to survey tertiary paediatric respiratory services across Australia and NZ using a custom-designed questionnaire, to conduct a cross-sectional observational study of the numbers of children with problematic severe asthma seen, the number treated with biologic therapy, outpatient clinic/multidisciplinary team services available, investigations and tools routinely used and approaches utilised for transition to adult care.