Subject house dust mites

Episodes of airway obstruction or bronchoconstriction may be induced in asthmatics by exposure to stimuli to which they are sensitized, such as inhalation of a specific pollen or house dust mite, or exposure to an occupational stimulus, e.g., red cedar dust [47]. Binding of antigen (e.g., pollen) to specific receptors (antibodies) on the surface of an inflammatory cell (e.g., mast cell) results in the elaboration of prestored mediators, such as histamine, and in the synthesis of newly formed mediators, such as arachidonic acid metabolites (e.g., prostaglandins and leukotrienes). Cellular sources of the various mediators are shown in Table 3. Cytokines and chemokines are proteins that participate in pulmonary immune and inflammatory responses. While important, these have not been subjected to discussion in this chapter because these fields are changing very... 

Patients were enrolled with the diagnosis of asthma of > 1 year duration, who, in addition to the standards of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) (15), demonstrated a >12% increase in FEVi following inhaled bronchodilator, skin prick test positivity (house dust mite [D. farinae, D. pteronyssinus], cockroach, dog, or cat) and remained symptomatic despite inhaled corticosteroids and frequent use of short-acting bronchodilators. Five hundred and twenty-five subjects were enrolled, 79% of whom had moderate disease severity and 21% of whom were judged to be severe (Table 1). 

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