Research progress in the diagnosis and treatment of non-eosinophilic asthma
Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in the world.Non-eosinophilic asthma(NEA)is a special type of asthma.NEA is characterized by airway inflammation with the absence of eosinophils,and the cellular infiltration is dominated by neutrophils.NEA is associated with environmental and host factors,such as occupational exposure,environmental pollution,smok-ing,infection,and obesity,which can,alone or in combination,activate specific cellular and molecular pathways to result in NEA.NEA features a poor response to standard asthma treatments,especially inhaled corticosteroids,which can lead to more serious and unman-ageable asthma.Although NEA is not the most common type of asthma,it cannot be ignored because of a high proportion in patients with severe asthma.This article reviews the epidemiology,pathogenic factors,pathogenesis,and treatment of NEA in recent years.