Asthma: Epidemiology, Anti-Inflammatory Therapy and Future Trends

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-VII

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2. Epidemiology of Asthma Mortality

   • C. Richard W. Beasley, Neil E. Pearce, Julian Crane

   Pages 1-24

3. Epidemiology of Childhood Asthma

   • John R. Britton, Sarah A. Lewis

   Pages 25-56

4. Is Chronic Use of β2-Agonists Detrimental in the Treatment of Asthma?

   • D. Robin Taylor, Malcolm R. Sears

   Pages 57-72

5. Assessment of Airway Inflammation in Asthma Using Non-Invasive Methods

   • K. Parameswaran, F. E. Hargreave

   Pages 73-95

6. Treatment of Asthma in Children: the Case for Inhaled Corticosteroids as First Line Agents

   • Søren Pedersen

   Pages 97-115

7. Treatment of Asthma in Children: the Case Against Inhaled Corticosteroids as First Line Agents

   • Peter König

   Pages 117-128

8. Future Trends in the Use of Corticosteroids in Asthma

   • Paul M. O’Byrne

   Pages 129-140

9. Steroid Sparing Therapies in Asthma

   • David J. Evans, Duncan M. Geddes

   Pages 141-170

10. Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists and 5-Lipoxygenase Inhibitors in Asthma

    • K. Fan Chung

    Pages 171-189

11. Theophylline and New Generation Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Asthma

    • Clive P. Page, John Costello

    Pages 191-202

12. Back Matter

    Pages 203-206

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1. 1. Invasive versus Non-Invasive Clinical Measurements in Medicine Clinical measurement has become an essential complement to traditional physical diagnosis. An ideal clinical measurement should be quantitative, have a high level of reliability and accuracy, be safe, acceptable to the patient, easy to perform and non-invasive. The latter demands that the technique should not break the skin or the lining epithelium and should be devoid of effects on the tissues of the body by the dissipation of energy or the introduction of infection [1]. It is therefore logical that for a given measurement, a non-invasive test will be preferred if it provides the same information with the same accuracy and precision. In the following sections, we will discuss the role of various non-invasive or relatively non-invasive methods to assess airway inflammation in asthma and concentrate on the only direct method of induced sputum examination. 1. 2. Why Is Assessment of Airway Inflammation Important in Asthma? Inflammation is a localized protective response elicited by injury or destruc­ tion of tissues which serves to destroy, dilute or wall off both the injurious agent and the injured tissue [2]. The role of inflammation in asthma was rec­ ognized long ago. In his textbook The Principles and Practice of Medicine, in 1892, Sir William Osler described "bronchial asthma . . . in many cases is a spe­ cial form of inflammation of the smaller bronchioles . . .

• Atmen
• asthma
• computerassistierte Detektion
• epidemiology
• inflammation
• steroids

• Department of Thoracic Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, England

  Mark A. Giembycz

• Clinical Studies Unit, The Royal Brompton National Heart and Lung Hospital, London, England

  Brian J. O’Connor

Policies and ethics