Despite the widespread nature of asthma, how it occurs remains unclear. Recently, a team of scientists has successfully identified a new underlying cause, offering a fresh perspective on treating the disease that could prevent major symptoms, according to New Atlas as reported by the journal Science. According to the World Health Organization, asthma affects approximately 262 million people worldwide and is typically treated as an inflammatory disease, where symptoms appear after exposure to triggers such as pollen or dust, causing inflammation that narrows the airways and makes breathing difficult. Inhaled medications can alleviate this by relaxing the airways and soothing inflammation.
**Different Underlying Cause**
However, the new study suggests a different underlying cause, stating that inflammation itself is a symptom of asthma. When airway muscles contract, the epithelial cells lining the airways are "compressed" and subsequently die. With fewer of these cells functioning as a barrier, the likelihood of asthma attacks increases in later stages.
**Airway Barrier**
Professor Judy Rosenblatt, the lead researcher of the study, noted, "As cell biology scientists observing processes, we can see that the physical contraction of an asthma attack causes widespread destruction of the airway barrier," adding that "without this barrier, asthma patients are more susceptible to chronic inflammation, wound healing, and infections, which trigger more attacks. By understanding this fundamental mechanism, we now have a better perception of how to prevent all these repercussions."
**Chemical Compound**
The research team at King's College London discovered this finding in mouse models, and importantly, they also found a potential way to prevent the destruction of many cells. The chemical compound gadolinium has previously been shown to inhibit this process, and the researchers demonstrated in this new study that gadolinium helped prevent cell damage and inflammation associated with asthma attacks in laboratory mice.
**Limitations of Current Treatments**
Rosenblatt stated, "Current treatments do not prevent this destruction. An inhaler like albuterol opens the airways, which is critical for breathing, but it does not prevent the damage and symptoms that follow an asthma crisis," emphasizing that, "Fortunately, it has been discovered that gadolinium, frequently used in MRI imaging, can stop airway damage in mouse models as well as the resulting inflammation and mucus secretion. Preventing this damage can avert muscle buildup that leads to future attacks."
**Clinical Trials**
Naturally, clinical trials on humans will be necessary to ensure similar results are achieved, and thus the findings may assist in developing new types of asthma treatments that extend beyond merely alleviating symptoms.
