Heterogeneity in Asthma

By: Allan R. Brasier

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Synopsis: Asthma is a chronic relapsing airways disease that represents a major public health problemworldwide. Intermittent exacerbations are provoked by airway mucosal exposureto pro-inflammatory stimuli, with RNA viral infections or inhaled allergens representingthe two most common precipitants. In this setting, inducible signaling pathwaysthe airway mucosa play a central role in the initiation of airway inflammationthrough production of antimicrobial peptides (defensins), cytokines, chemokinesand arachidonic acid metabolites that coordinate the complex processes ofvascular permeability, cellular recruitment, mucous hyper-secretion, bronchialconstriction and tissue remodeling. These signals also are responsible for leukocytic infiltration into thesubmucosa, T helper-lymphocyte skewing, and allergic sensitization. Currently, itis well appreciated that asthma is a heterogeneous in terms of onset,exacerbants, severity, and treatment response. Current asthma classification methods are largely descriptive and focuson a single aspect or dimension of the disease. An active area of investigation on how to collect, use and visualize multidimensionalprofiling in asthma. This book willoverview multidimensional profiling strategies and visualization approaches forphenotyping asthma. As an outcome, thiswork will facilitate the understanding of disease etiology, prognosis and/ortherapeutic intervention.