title: Allergy is an important factor in asthma exacerbation: a pro/con debate.
abstract: Allergy and allergens have been implicated in asthma and it has historically been assumed that deteriorating asthma is related to allergen exposure. In the current pro/con debate some leading academics and researchers in the field consider this notion in the light of recent evidence. They conclude that allergy does not directly cause exacerbations but suggest that it may contribute to acute asthma in a different fashion. Possibilities that are proposed by the authors include specific allergy phenotypes acting as risk factors for virus-associated exacerbations or alternatively that allergy may be implicated in the blunted innate immune responses detected in asthma.
authors.affiliation: The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, NIHR Translational Research Facility in Respiratory Medicine, Manchester, UK. adnan.custovic@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Custovic
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Philip G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Bardin
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Souëf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D012307:Risk Factors; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens