Characteristic modifications of the peripheral airways in patients with bronchial asthma in areas with air pollution

OBJECTIVE: Changes in the peripheral airways in patients with bronchial asthma who were living in the Kawasaki industrial zone, region with severe air pollution, were morphologically investigated in order to determine the pathological conditions of such bronchial asthma, in particular ascertaining the effect of air pollution. METHODOLOGY: Studies were made of the morphological characteristics of the peripheral airways in patients with bronchial asthma who had resided for long periods in an area near Tokyo affected by air pollution. RESULTS: The endoscopic findings of the peripheral airways were distinct, consisting of reddening, stenosis, pigmentation, pallor, lustrelessness and hypersecretion. The histological findings also differed from those in usual forms of asthma. CONCLUSIONS: The bronchial asthma in the present patients appeared to be a totally different form from a morphological viewpoint, although it was quite similar to known types in its clinicophysiological features.