Airway Generation-specific Remodeling, Immune and Inflammatory Cells and Cytokines in Allergen-challenged Rhesus Monkeys

摘要

Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, is a world-wide health problem affecting both developed and developing countries. It is the most common chronic disease of childhood. As of 2000, it was estimated that 100 to 150 million people have the disease worldwide. In the United States alone, people with asthma collectively have more than 100 million days of restricted activity and 470,000 hospitalizations annually. More than 5,000 people die of asthma annually. Asthma hos-pitalization rates have been highest among blacks and children, while death rates for asthma have been consistently highest among blacks aged 15 to 24 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1996). These rates have increased or remained unchanged over the past decade. The disease is characterized by chronic inflammation, obstruction and remodeling of the airways coupled with breathlessness and wheezing. The airway inflammation causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and cough, and is usually associated with variable airflow obstruction that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment. The airway inflammation also causes an associated increase in bronchial hyperresponsiveness to a variety of stimuli.