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Previous Volume 337:1690-1692 December 4, 1997 Number 23 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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For over a century asthma has been recognized as a disorder in which the airways are irritable and narrow too easily and too much in response to a variety of nonspecific stimuli. This view of asthma as a disorder of bronchial hyperresponsiveness led to the use of short-acting ₂-adrenergic–receptor agonists by inhalation for the rapid relief of symptoms. Over the past decade, the emphasis has moved from understanding the physiology of airway dysfunction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in asthma to determining why the impairments occur.

In adults, allergic, occupational, and intrinsic asthma are all characterized by the involvement of activated mast . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

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• Milgrom, H (2003). Is there a role for treatment of asthma with omalizumab?. Arch. Dis. Child. 88: 71-74 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• de Benedictis, F. M., Teper, A., Green, R. J., Boner, A. L., Williams, L., Medley, H., for the International Study Group, (2001). Effects of 2 Inhaled Corticosteroids on Growth: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 155: 1248-1254 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bowman, M. A., Nicklin, D. E. (1998). New Developments in Family Medicine. JAMA 279: 1437-1438 [Full Text]