A team of British scientists confirmed that they had discovered a new cause of damage to the airways and lungs in patients suffering from asthma.
According to the researchers, the cells that line the airways are compressed to destruction during an attack and this damage to the lining of these airways has been overlooked until now.
Scientists from Kings College University in London explained in Science magazine that the discovery could break a vicious circle if this effect can be prevented, instead of treating its consequences, through a medication.
The airways of people with asthma are sensitive to various triggers such as pollen, pets, and exercise.
These become inflamed or swollen, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and choking.
Existing drugs or inhalers can reduce this inflammation and help keep the airways open.
But repeated attacks can cause permanent scarring and narrowing of the airways.
During an attack, the smooth muscle surrounding the airways begins to contract and tighten, known as bronchoconstriction.
The Kings College team studied this process in detail using mice and human lung tissue samples.
Professor Jody Rosenblatt, leader of the research, explained that bronchoconstriction damages the lining of the airways, causing long-term inflammation, wound healing and infections that cause more attacks.
“This epithelial lining is the body’s first line of defense against infection and yet it is damaged during asthma attacks,” Rosenblatt explained to the BBC.
“If we can block the damage, we hope the attacks will stop,” he added.
New treatments
One possible preventative treatment that researchers are studying is an element called gadolinium, which appears to be useful, at least in mice.
But there is still a lot of work to be done to see if it is safe and effective enough to test in people, and that will take years.
In the words of Dr. Samantha Walker, an asthma and lung expert in the United Kingdom, the “discovery opens new doors that may be important to explore possible new treatment options that people with asthma desperately need.”
“We know that there are many people for whom existing treatments do not work as well, so it is vital that we continue to fund research to find new treatments that better address the causes of asthma,” he explained.
But he insists that, until a new treatment is found, it is essential that people with asthma continue to correctly use the medication they have been prescribed.
It also highlights that those people who continue to have symptoms should consult a doctor.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 250 million people suffering from asthma in the world.
Keep reading:
* How to choose the most suitable asthma inhaler
* Can allergies cause asthma?
* Bronchial asthma: know its symptoms and treatment
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