title: Etanercept for refractory asthma therapy.
abstract: Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways in which inflammation causes bronchial hyper-reactivity and consequent asthma attacks triggered by various stimuli. The bronchospasm attacks are usually relieved by short-acting beta2 agonists, and inflammation and bronchial hyper-reactivity are reduced by maintenance therapy and, in particular, by inhaled corticosteroids. In milder asthma subjects, airway inflammation is dominated by eosinophils, whereas in more severe asthma increased neutrophil counts were detected. In severe/refractory asthma, TNF-alpha is known to play a role in the maintenance of neutrophilic inflammation and of bronchial hyper-responsiveness and is not influenced by corticosteroid therapy. Etanercept, a TNF-alpha-blocking agent, could represent one of the potential therapies for refractory asthma based on demonstrated safety and efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Pulmonary Disease, 30 Dr I Cihac Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania. sabinaantoniu@excite.com
authors.forename: Sabina A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Antoniu
mesh_terms: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000068800:Etanercept; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000068800:Etanercept