IMMUNOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR INVESTIGATIONS OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA IN THE SUB HIMALAYAN REGION OF WEST BENGAL INDIA

Abstract

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood and the leading cause of childhood newlinemorbidity as measured by school absences emergency department visits and hospitalizations It newlineis well known that the prevalence of asthma has been reported to increase in many places around newlinethe world during the last decades The increased prevalence of asthma is multifactorial in newlineetiology Asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in which newlinevarious cells such as eosinophils neutrophils macrophages and T lymphocytes cytokines and newlinemediators play a role Beside local inflammation systemic inflammation is present in asthma as newlineshown by increased levels of plasma fibrinogen and serum amyloid A Serum levels of the wellknown newlineinflammatory marker C reactive protein CRP can be simply and inexpensively newlinemeasured in order to assess systemic inflammation Asthma typically begins in early childhood newlinewith an earlier onset in males than females Atopy is present in the majority of children with newlineasthma over the age of 3 and allergen specific sensitization is one of the most important risk newlinefactors for the development of asthma Immunoglobulin