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According to a recent study by the University of California, bacteria present in the bronchial airways may be closely related to Asthma.

Asthma is one of the commonest disorders all over the world. Global stats indicate that there are about 300 million patients diagnosed with asthma. For unknown reasons the prevalence of the disease is found to be high in the western and well developed part of the world. In United States of America upto 8% of the population suffer from asthma.

Asthma refers to a common allergic respiratory disorder which is often characterized by breathlessness, wheezing, tightness in the chest and coughing. Factors that cause asthma vary from environmental to genetic. People with a family history of asthma are at high risk of suffering from the condition. Exposure to viral allergens or other respiratory infections during early years of life were postulated as causes of asthma.

Findings of a recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology have revealed a close association of asthma with the types of bacteria that live in the bronchial airways. Researchers believe that the study may lead to the development of newer treatment procedures for asthma. During the three year long research, the scientists collected samples from bronchial mucosa and analysed the bacterial content. The total study population consisted of 75 adults, with 65 adults with mild to moderate asthma and the remaining 10 participants were healthy. Using a highly efficient tool, scientists studied the microbes and established a close association between the composition of the species of bacterial communities and the objective features of asthma found in the patient. It was observed that the number of varieties of microbes that inhabit the respiratory tract was far more than the amount believed to be present. Researchers found complex and inter-connected colonies of bacteria in the bronchial airways.

The study proved that the bronchial airways are not as sterile as they were believed to be earlier. Researchers observed that the samples collected from the bronchial airways of the asthmatic participants contained far more bacteria as compared to the samples collected from their healthy counterparts. In addition, the bronchial airways of the asthmatic patients were found to be highly sensitive along with the presence of high diversity of bacteria. Researchers hope that the findings of the study will lead to the betterment in the understanding of the characteristics of various microbes that inhabit the human body and affect human health.

Reference:
A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and by the Strategic Asthma Basic Research Center.http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/02/9418/asthma-tied-bacterial-communities-airway

Disclaimer: This article is written by a non-medical professional.