PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Wytse B. van den Bosch
AU  - Alan L. James
AU  - Harm A.W.M. Tiddens
TI  - Structure and function of small airways in asthma patients revisited
AID  - 10.1183/16000617.0186-2020
DP  - 2021 Mar 31
TA  - European Respiratory Review
PG  - 200186
VI  - 30
IP  - 159
4099  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/30/159/200186.short
4100  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/30/159/200186.full
SO  - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW2021 Mar 31; 30
AB  - Small airways (<2 mm in diameter) are probably involved across almost all asthma severities and they show proportionally more structural and functional abnormalities with increasing asthma severity. The structural and functional alterations of the epithelium, extracellular matrix and airway smooth muscle in small airways of people with asthma have been described over many years using in vitro studies, animal models or imaging and modelling methods. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of these observations and to outline several potential pathophysiological mechanisms regarding the role of small airways in asthma.Small in size, big in impact: structural and functional alterations of the epithelium, extracellular matrix and airway smooth muscle are present in the small airways of asthma patients. These alterations may play a pivotal role in asthma pathophysiology. https://bit.ly/3lIlT62