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Abstract
Asthma is an inflammatory disease characterized by a reversible airflow obstruction and hyperresponsiveness of the bronchi. It is suggested that the chronic inflammation leads to structural modifications of the airway wall. These modifications are involved in the development and the persistence of airway hyperresponsiveness. They also contribute to the development of symptomatic asthma. In this regard, we studied the involvement of the subepithelial fibrosis, one of the major modifications observed in the bronchial wall of asthmatic patients, in the development of the bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Our studies showed that, in nonasthmatic allergic rhinitic patients, there was a bronchial subepithelial fibrosis. This structural change, absent in the normal subjects, was however less marked than in the asthmatic airways. In another hand, our studies pointed out a decreased phagocytic activity of the asthmatic bronchial fibroblasts. Such phenomenon may explain, at least in part, the subepithelial fibrosis. Since asthma is a disease where structural tissue alterations are marked, the study of such changes will certainly help understanding this disease and develop new strategies to reduce its severity or prevent its development.