Scientists discover key element causing asthma
London (PTI): In a discovery which might lead to better drugs for severe asthmatic patients, British scientists have found the key element which remodells the lung's airways causing the disease.
Scientists from King's College London and Imperial College London have discovered during their research that the structure and function of asthmatic lung airways are changed or "remodelled" gradually due to irritants such as dust, pollen, mould, viruses and bacteria in the air they breathe leading to chronic asthma.
The researchers studied muscle cells from the airways of people with asthma and found that a lack of SERCA, an element which controls calcium intake in cells of lung airway muscles caused them to multiply and become larger, increasing their ability to squeeze the airways causing asthma symptoms.
"The function of the muscle surrounding the airways (airway smooth muscle) is very dependent on the amount of calcium that is freely available inside the cell.
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