Asthma: A Link between Environment, Immunology and the Airways

Author: Hugo E. Neffen
Published: November 1999
Publisher: Hogrefe & Huber Publishers
ISBN: 0889372209
Hardcover Book
Number of Pages: 270

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This book represents the proceedings of the Sixteenth World Congress of Asthma, which was organized by INTERASMA, the International Association of Asthmology. The text is compromised of fourteen sections encompassing forty-one brief chapters, addressing a broad range of research and clinical topics. Readers will no doubt recognize contributions submitted by the leaders in the field of asthma research and treatment. The editors hope that this book will encourage new questions and new research to lead to a "better understanding of and more answers about asthma in the new millennium." While they do provide up-to-date information, much of the material is presented in a straightforward fashion, so this is not a conclusive textbook on asthma. The majority of chapters end with sections on future directions and identification of questions that will help promote research in asthma. This book is written for clinicians and researchers specifically interested in asthma. The material presented is primarily clinical aspects, given the one chapter on ECP and other markers of inflammation, one on exhaled nitric oxide levels, and a very brief chapter on adhesion molecules. Pediatric pulmonologists and allergists as well as pediatricians will find that five of the fourteen sections are reviews of pediatric issues of asthma. Again, many of the contributors are international authorities in the field of asthma. Current and new issues of asthma are covered. There are chapter discussions on the use of asthma education and asthma guidelines, as well as measurements of asthma outcomes. Chapters on asthma in different parts of the world such as South America and Russia are refreshing to read. Basicimmunology as it applies to asthma is only briefly reviewed in a few chapters. All chapters are well referenced and include many recent articles from 1998-1999. The strength of this book is in the international perspective of asthma with contributors from all over the world. Some of the shortcomings concern chapters of review material that can be found in most textbooks of asthma, allergy, and immunology. This book is a review of the contributors' presentations at the World Congress of Asthma. For those of us unable to attend the meeting, this is an in-depth look at up-to-date issues discussed at the Congress with valuable references included. Contains the central papers of the Asthma Congress, showing the advances in asthma research to be knowledge of the components of asthma inflammation: the bronchial mucosa, the airway smooth muscle, and neurogenic factors. In addition, environmental factors, such as indoor and outdoor pollutants, allergens, and smoking all play important roles in what the editors call an "asthma epidemic." Topics include respiratory physiology in infants and children, how to monitor airway inflammation in children, risk factors in pediatric asthma, other respiratory problems, environmental risk factors, asthma in the elderly, hot topics in asthma, and new technologies of diagnosis. Neffen, Hugo E.; Baena-Cagnani, Carlos E.; Fabbri, Leonardo; Holgate, Steven; O'Byrne, Paul Click to compare book prices for Asthma: A Link between Environment, Immunology and the Airways Asthma: A Link between Environment, Immunology and the Airways

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