{"title":"The Pathology of Asthma: What Is Obstructing Our View?","authors":"Helena Aegerter, Bart N Lambrecht","doi":"10.1146/annurev-pathol-042220-015902","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the advent of sophisticated and efficient new biologics to treat inflammation in asthma, the disease persists. Even following treatment, many patients still experience the well-known symptoms of wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. What are we missing? Here we examine the evidence that mucus plugs contribute to a substantial portion of disease, not only by physically obstructing the airways but also by perpetuating inflammation. In this way, mucus plugs may act as an immunogenic stimulus even in the absence of allergen or with the use of current therapeutics. The alterations of several parameters of mucus biology, driven by type 2 inflammation, result in sticky and tenacious sputum, which represents a potent threat, first due to the difficulties in expectoration and second by acting as a platform for viral, bacterial, or fungal colonization that allows exacerbations. Therefore, in this way, mucus plugs are an overlooked but critical feature of asthmatic airway disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":50753,"journal":{"name":"Annual Review of Pathology-Mechanisms of Disease","volume":"18 ","pages":"387-409"},"PeriodicalIF":28.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annual Review of Pathology-Mechanisms of Disease","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-pathol-042220-015902","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PATHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
Despite the advent of sophisticated and efficient new biologics to treat inflammation in asthma, the disease persists. Even following treatment, many patients still experience the well-known symptoms of wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. What are we missing? Here we examine the evidence that mucus plugs contribute to a substantial portion of disease, not only by physically obstructing the airways but also by perpetuating inflammation. In this way, mucus plugs may act as an immunogenic stimulus even in the absence of allergen or with the use of current therapeutics. The alterations of several parameters of mucus biology, driven by type 2 inflammation, result in sticky and tenacious sputum, which represents a potent threat, first due to the difficulties in expectoration and second by acting as a platform for viral, bacterial, or fungal colonization that allows exacerbations. Therefore, in this way, mucus plugs are an overlooked but critical feature of asthmatic airway disease.
期刊介绍:
The Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease is a scholarly journal that has been published since 2006. Its primary focus is to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in our knowledge of the causes and development of significant human diseases. The journal places particular emphasis on exploring the current and evolving concepts of disease pathogenesis, as well as the molecular genetic and morphological changes associated with various diseases. Additionally, the journal addresses the clinical significance of these findings.
In order to increase accessibility and promote the broad dissemination of research, the current volume of the journal has transitioned from a gated subscription model to an open access format. This change has been made possible through the Annual Reviews' Subscribe to Open program, which allows all articles published in this volume to be freely accessible to readers. As part of this transition, all articles in the journal are published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which encourages open sharing and use of the research.