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Asthma: Epidemiology, Anti-Inflammatory Therapy and Future Trends

  • Book
  • © 2000

Overview

Editors:
  1. Mark A. Giembycz

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

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  2. Brian J. O’Connor

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

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: Respiratory Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy (RPP)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  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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Keywords

About this book

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 . . .

Editors and Affiliations

  • 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

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Asthma: Epidemiology, Anti-Inflammatory Therapy and Future Trends

  • Editors: Mark A. Giembycz, Brian J. O’Connor

  • Series Title: Respiratory Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8480-8

  • Publisher: Birkhäuser Basel

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Basel AG 2000

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-7643-5858-7Published: 01 December 1999

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-0348-9585-9Published: 23 October 2012

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-0348-8480-8Published: 06 December 2012

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VII, 206

  • Topics: Internal Medicine, Immunology, Pharmacology/Toxicology

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