Where is the allergic reaction in ragweed asthma?
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Air Pollution↗
Biomedical subjects
W W Busse
Publications and source records attributed to W W Busse.
Pathogenesis and sequelae of respiratory infections.
Bacterial pneumonia remains a major health threat, with particular risk for infants in developing countries. The effective design of strategies that minimize the morbidity and mortality from pneumonia requires an awareness of the host defense mechanisms that function to prevent respiratory infections. In this review the normal immune host defenses and the abnormalities in this process that promote the development of lower respiratory bacterial infections will be briefly reviewed. A brief discussion will focus on a complication of respiratory infections, asthma, which can follow viral illness and also be a significant problem for children.
Asthma↗
Determinants of risk factors for asthma.
There are a number of risk factors for the development of asthma, including genetic and environmental components. Moreover, there is mounting evidence that a variety of genes are associated with the features of asthma, such as persistent wheezing, airway responsiveness and chronic bronchial inflammation. However, for expression of these features, other factors must also come into play. This paper focuses on the importance of environmental factors in the development of asthma, including allergens and respiratory infections. From current evidence, it appears that in subjects with the appropriate genetic make-up, infections and allergens induce a proinflammatory cytokine response that causes airway inflammation and that in turn leads to the initiation and persistence of altered airway function.
Allergens↗
Mechanisms of inflammation in the asthmatic patient.
Our concept of asthma has changed dramatically in the past decade. Although many factors contribute to airflow obstruction in asthma, there is now an expanded focus on all events in bronchial obstruction including bronchospasm, edema, mucous formation, and inflammation. The last of these airway changes, bronchial inflammation, not only causes symptoms of asthma but also contributes or is the cause of a basic characteristic of asthma: airway hyperresponsiveness. It has become apparent that asthma is a complex disease in which the causes of airflow obstruction are multi-factorial, multicellular, and redundant. It is important to identify the cellular mechanisms involved in airway inflammation and to understand how they contribute to changes in airway responsiveness and obstruction.
Asthma↗
Avoidance diets--how selective should we be?
Selective avoidance diets are the most common means of treatment for food allergies and other types of food sensitivities. With IgE-mediated food allergies, adverse reactions can occur in some patients to very small amounts of the offending food; therefore, strict avoidance of the offending food must be accomplished. With other, non-immunological types of food sensitivities, such as lactose intolerance and sulfite sensitivity, the patients are able to tolerate some, although variable, amounts of the offending substance. Thus, the degree of tolerance is an important concern in the construction of safe and effective avoidance diets. Another issue in the development of selective avoidance diets is the presence of the allergen in specific foods. For example, the peanut allergen is a protein which is not present in peanut oil. Consequently, peanut oil is safe to consume for peanut-allergic patients. Cross-reactivity is yet another concern in the development of selective avoidance diets. Cross reactions can occur between related species of legumes, crustacea, eggs, and milk for example. The construction of a safe and effective avoidance diet for food allergies and sensitivities requires consideration of several important issues and is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.
Cross Reactions↗