UK scientists recently said they have found a new cause behind much of the damage asthma causes.
Cells lining the airways are squeezed to destruction during an attack, their research shows.
And drugs to prevent this, rather than manage its aftermath, might break the cycle of harm, the Kings College London researchers said.
They stated that the airways of people with asthma are sensitive to triggers such as pollen, pets and exercise.
They become inflamed or swollen, causing symptoms including coughing, wheezing and breathlessness. Existing drugs or inhalers can reduce this inflammation and help keep the airways open.
However, repeated attacks can cause permanent scarring and narrowing of the airways.
During an attack, the smooth muscle surrounding the airways starts to squeeze and tighten, known as bronchoconstriction.
The Kings College London team studied this process in detail, using mice and human lung-tissue samples.
Lead researcher, Prof Jody Rosenblatt said bronchoconstriction damaged the airway lining, resulting in long-term inflammation, wound healing, and infections that cause more attacks.
“This epithelial lining is the body’s first line of defence against things like infections and yet it is getting damaged during asthma attacks. There’s this constant wounding going on – it’s a vicious cycle. If we can block the damage, we are hoping that might stop attacks from happening at all,” Rosenblatt said.
One possible preventive treatment the researchers are exploring is an element called gadolinium, which appears to help – at least in mice.
But much more work is needed to see if it might be safe and effective enough to try on people – and that will take years.
Asthma and Lung UK research and innovation director Dr Samantha Walker said: “This discovery opens important new doors to explore possible new treatment options desperately needed for people with asthma.”
“We know that there are many people for whom existing asthma treatments don’t work as well, so we must continue to fund research to find new treatments that better tackle the causes of asthma.”
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