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December 10, 2007 Pulmonary Remodeling, Fixed Airway Obstruction in Asthma Continues to Garner InterestSummary Both of these articles are part of a series entitled, "Airway Remodeling: From Basic Science to Clinical Practice," edited by L-P. Boulet and P. J. Sterk. They are number 4 and 5 in the series. The appearance of this series is ample evidence that the concept of remodeling is now well validated, and it is now generally accepted that some asthmatics develop irreversible obstructive lung disease. These two articles are superb reviews of this area. The Walters reference takes an unusual tack in that it looks at remodeling in a generic way, discussing the changes that occur not only in asthma, but also in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiolitis obliterans. It contains an intensive review of potential therapies to prevent and reverse remodeling in all three of these conditions. The James and Wenzel reference is perhaps the most detailed review of the pathophysiologic events occurring during remodeling that I have seen. It contains 185 references. It also has an interesting discussion regarding the concept of remodeling being an advantageous response to prevent early airway closure. Reference
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