Update in Asthma 2007

Abstract

A major event in asthma was the publication of the third edition of the updated National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) ‘‘Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma’’ by the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (1). The resource document for the guidelines has grown remarkably in length from 150 pages (1997) to more than 350 pages (2007), and is one indication of just how far our understanding of the clinical syndrome that is called asthma has progressed in the past decade. The guidelines are impressive, but it is important to remember that they are largely built on a solid background of studies that have led to our current insights into pathophysiologic mechanisms, clinical medicine, evidence-based treatment recommendations, and novel therapies. Notable manuscripts published in the past year have included basic pathobiology in mice (2–22) and humans (23–35) as well as large randomized clinical trials exploring novel therapeutic options (36–39). Articles have advanced our understanding of the influence of genetics (40–45), early-life influences (46–48), and the environment on the development of asthma (49–55). New tools were developed to assess asthma control (56), predict risk (57), and monitor patients for comorbidities (58–60). Potential new biomarkers (61–64) and exhaled nitric oxide were evaluated as tools to diagnose and help manage asthma (65, 66). Monoclonal antibodies (67) and bronchial thermoplasty (68) were among the new therapies explored in asthma (69).