title: [Effects of educational guidance on airway inflammation of patients with severe persistent asthma].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Airway inflammation is a fundamental feature of bronchial asthma. We examined whether educational guidance using a text on pathophysiology and management of asthma modify airway inflammation of severe asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen severe persistent asthmatics were enrolled in this study. Evaluation on asthma control using Asthma Control Test (ACT), Asthma Health Questionnaire (AHQ)-Japan), FEV1, percentages of eosinophils and neutrophils in induced sputum were analyzed before and 4 weeks after patient education process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following educational guidance, ACT and FEV1 did not improve, but AHQ score significantly improved. Furthermore, percentage of eosinophils in sputum significantly reduced. On the contrary, the percentage of neutrophils in sputum was not changed. In accordance with this lack of the change in neutrophil numbers, neutrophil chemoattractants including IL-8 or CXCR3 in the induced sputum did not change before and after patient guidance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational guidance using a text on pathophysiology and management of asthma provides some effects on quality of life in asthmatic patients and eosinophilic inflammation, however, this procedure does not modify the control status of asthma and neutrophilic inflammation seen with severe asthma.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Center, Saitama Medical University, Japan. takaku.yotaro@pref.saitama.lg.jp
authors.forename: Yotaro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takaku
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakagome
authors.forename: Fuyumi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nishihara
authors.forename: Takehito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soma
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hagiwara
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagata
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome