Airway Wall Remodelling in Asthma

Asthma is a disease of high prevalence that has shown a trend toward increasing incidence, morbidity, and mortality over the last three decades despite apparently effective drug treatments and increasing awareness of the need for better disease management. Often the inflammatory component of asthma is studied; however, the tissue remodelling process is a significant process that should not be overlooked. This valuable reference synthesizes current data and concepts developed to determine the relationship between airway wall remodelling and the pathogenesis of asthma. It discusses evidence for structural changes in asthmatic airway, the relationship between airway thickening and hyperresponsiveness, the relationship between cytokine production and tissue remodelling and inflammation, the significance of epithelial changes and the extracellular matrix, and in vivo and in vitro experimental approaches to the assessment of remodelling. Pharmacological and biochemical mechanisms that control cell proliferation are also examined. The consequences of airway wall remodelling for airway hyperresponsiveness is the unique focus of this volume, offering a fresh perspective of advances in asthma research.