Increasing evidence supports the importance of small airways in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma; however, focused areas of discussion and critical review of this topic have been lacking. To foster a better understanding of the role of small airways in asthma management, Teva Respiratory, a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA), will be providing reprints of a special supplement entitled "Small Airway Involvement: A Key to Asthma" from the December issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) at their exhibit (Booth #724) at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting being held Feb. 26-March 2, 2010 in New Orleans, La.
While there has been significant progress in the diagnosis of asthma, including prevention, education and treatment, asthma remains a major public health concern as millions of people still experience flare ups and miss school and work days as a result every year. Asthma at all levels of severity is the result of chronic inflammation in both the large and small airways, and if left untreated can result in permanent structure changes to the airways, whether patients are symptomatic or not.
The special JACI supplement provides a comprehensive scientific review of the emerging role of the small airways in the understanding and treatment of asthma, a key topic being discussed at the Annual Meeting. This publication represents the first time leading researchers from various institutions in the U.S. and Canada have organized information surrounding the small airways in asthma to set a benchmark for additional discussion and future research in this area.