MONITORING OF BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA

Assessment of asthma severity is important for disease management. Ana lysis of symptoms past and present, and previous and actual lung funct ion measurements (including variability) is the usual method of evalua tion and classification of asthma disease severity and activity. Howev er. symptoms and lung function alterations are the result of pathophys iological processes including inflammation in the bronchial wall which , in chronic phases, precedes the clinical measurements, and are risk factors for disease progression and worsening. Tools for more precise determination oi asthma disease processes in the airway wall would be of importance for prophylactic intervention to avoid chronic damage to the airways and acute worsenings to occur.