PMID- 1953920
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19911230
LR  - 20071114
IS  - 0904-1850 (Print)
IS  - 0904-1850 (Linking)
VI  - 13
DP  - 1991 Apr
TI  - Specific allergens evoking immune reactions in the lung: relationship to asthma.
PG  - 68s-77s
AB  - Over the last 20 yrs our understanding of the relationship of allergens to asthma 
      has changed completely. This is due to several interrelated developments: 
      firstly, it is clear that bronchial hyperreactivity can be increased by allergen 
      exposure and that it is at least in part reversible; secondly, it is now 
      generally accepted that asthma involves inflammation of the bronchi in which 
      eosinophils play an important role; thirdly, there are a large number of studies 
      demonstrating an epidemiological relationship between immediate hypersensitivity 
      to dust mites and asthma; finally, it has been shown that natural exposure to 
      dust mite allergens is very different from bronchial provocation. Together these 
      findings have lead to the view that indoor allergens can play a major role in 
      causing bronchial inflammation with consequent bronchial reactivity and that this 
      is usually not apparent to the patient. Recently three studies in the USA have 
      established that immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to common inhalants can also 
      be important risk factors for acute asthma. In these studies both dust mites and 
      pollens were significant, but cat and cockroach allergy were also important. The 
      results imply that the management of all asthma requires evaluation of the role 
      of immediate hypersensitivity and that treatment of inflammation in the lungs 
      should include both anti-inflammatory drugs and allergen avoidance.
FAU - Platts-Mills, T A
AU  - Platts-Mills TA
AD  - Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Virginia Health Sciences 
      Center, Charlottesville 22908.
FAU - Chapman, M D
AU  - Chapman MD
FAU - Pollart, S
AU  - Pollart S
FAU - Luczynska, C M
AU  - Luczynska CM
FAU - Ward, G W Jr
AU  - Ward GW Jr
LA  - eng
GR  - AI-20565/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PT  - Review
PL  - England
TA  - Eur Respir J Suppl
JT  - The European respiratory journal. Supplement
JID - 8910681
RN  - 0 (Allergens)
RN  - 0 (Dust)
SB  - IM
MH  - Allergens/*immunology
MH  - Animals
MH  - Asthma/etiology/*immunology
MH  - Bronchi/immunology
MH  - Cats
MH  - Dust
MH  - Humans
MH  - Mites
MH  - Respiratory Hypersensitivity/complications/*immunology
MH  - Risk Factors
RF  - 59
EDAT- 1991/04/11 19:15
MHDA- 2001/03/28 10:01
CRDT- 1991/04/11 19:15
PHST- 1991/04/11 19:15 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/03/28 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 1991/04/11 19:15 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur Respir J Suppl. 1991 Apr;13:68s-77s.