Pathways linking the brain, immune system and lungs may drive stress-induced increases in disease severity and provide new targets to improve the management of asthma. Findings from the University of Wisconsin, Madison included elevated stress responses associated with greater airway expression of the inflammatory protein interleukin-23A in the Th17 immune pathway. Scientists suggested drugs to modify immune responses of the Th17 pathway might be more effective than targeting the traditional Th2 pathway.
Quickly differentiating between asthma and COPD based on symptoms alone can be clinically challenging, particularly in emergency or resource-limited settings when spirometry is impractical. Recognizing this need, a research team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University in China have developed a machine-learning, rapid, accessible, diagnostic model that uses patient age and routine blood tests to support this decision-making.
Analysis of approximately one million patient records demonstrated that COVID-19 infection can increase the risk of respiratory type-2 inflammatory diseases including allergic asthma. However, vaccination provided protection. “As COVID-19 continues to circulate globally, recurrent smaller infection waves of different SARSCoV-2 variants pose ongoing challenges for health care systems” stated the authors. They believe their results, “reinforce the importance of vaccination campaigns and public health messaging to address both direct and indirect consequences of COVID-19.”