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The twenty-first century has seen a fundamental shift in disease epidemiology with anthropogenic environmental change emerging as the likely dominant factor affecting the distribution and severity of current and future human disease. This is especially true of allergic diseases and asthma with their intimate relationship with the natural environment.
Globally, more than 1.2 billion inhalers are purchased for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) annually. In Australia and New Zealand, pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) are the leading delivery device prescribed and pMDI salbutamol can be purchased over the counter in Australia. These inhalers are a major contributor to healthcare related greenhouse gases.
The earliest respiratory function assessments, within or close to the neonatal period, consistently show correlations with lung function and with the development of asthma into adulthood. Measurements of lung function in infancy reflect the in utero period of lung development, and if early enough, show little influence of postnatal environmental exposures.
Pulmonary function measures reflect respiratory health and are used in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The purpose of this review is to examine the role of innate immunity in the lungs in the development of allergy and asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood and the leading cause of childhood morbidity from chronic disease as measured by school absences...
With the emergence of allergic and autoimmune diseases in populations that have started to transit to a western lifestyle, there has been an increasing...
For 20 years, the hygiene hypothesis has dominated attempts to explain the increasing prevalence of allergic disease. A causal link between maternal innate immu
The glutathione S-transferase enzymes (GSTs) play an important role in the detoxification of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), which contributes to airway infl
IgE antibodies in house dust mite (HDM) allergy follow a predictable pattern. Half are directed against two dominant allergens and the remainder largely against