Discovery could lead to better asthma treatment
Scientists have made a discovery that could lead to improved treatment for asthma sufferers.
They have found a way to alleviate symptoms such as mucus production, swelling and constriction of the airways in the lungs.
The international study, led by Dr Stephan Caucheteux, from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, believes their work could ultimately help asthma sufferers around the world.
Some 5.4m people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma, including more than a million children.
The allergic immune response, which triggers the symptoms of asthma, is a complex process, which starts with the over-activation of a certain white blood cell, the allergen-specific helper T cells type 2.
[The research, published in _The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology_](http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(16), also involved colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in the USA.