IMMUNOLOGICAL PHYSIOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS IN ASTHMA - POTENTIAL REGULATION BY LUNG MACROPHAGES/

There is now a consensus that T-cell-mediated inflammation and eosinop hil activation in the bronchial wall contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the relationship between these immunopathological me chanisms and the observed physiological aberrations remain unclear Her e, Len Poulter and colleagues identify the links between T-cell-mediat ed inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and propose a hypot hesis for asthma pathogenesis in which the combination of immunologica l and physiological abnormalities may result in the promotion of disea se. Furthermore, they suggest that art integral factor in the preventi on of this process is the regulation of bronchial T-cell reactivity by a population of immunosuppressive macrophages.