PapersFlow Research Brief
Asthma and respiratory diseases
Research Guide
What is Asthma and respiratory diseases?
Asthma and respiratory diseases are disorders of the airways and lungs that impair ventilation and gas exchange, commonly assessed with standardized lung-function testing and managed using evidence-based clinical strategies.
The research cluster on asthma and respiratory diseases comprises 176,099 works spanning epidemiology, immunology, genetics, airway remodeling, and treatment strategies, with recurring emphasis on eosinophils and inflammation in asthma pathogenesis. International guideline syntheses define diagnosis and management for major chronic respiratory conditions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as in "GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION" (1996) and "Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease" (2012). Standardized spirometry methods and reference equations underpin comparability of respiratory research and clinical diagnosis, as detailed in "Standardisation of spirometry" (2005) and "Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr age range: the global lung function 2012 equations" (2012).
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Asthma Epidemiology
This sub-topic examines the prevalence, incidence, risk factors, and global trends in asthma across populations. Researchers study environmental influences, demographic variations, and time-series data from large cohort studies.
Asthma Genetics
This sub-topic explores genetic variants, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and heritability of asthma phenotypes. Researchers investigate gene-environment interactions and polygenic risk scores.
Asthma Immunology
This sub-topic focuses on immune pathways, T-cell responses, cytokines, and allergic mechanisms in asthma pathogenesis. Researchers analyze adaptive and innate immunity roles in inflammation.
Airway Remodeling in Asthma
This sub-topic investigates structural changes in asthmatic airways, including smooth muscle hypertrophy, fibrosis, and epithelial alterations. Researchers study molecular drivers and imaging techniques.
Asthma Treatment Strategies
This sub-topic covers pharmacological interventions, biologics, inhaled therapies, and management guidelines for asthma control. Researchers evaluate efficacy, adherence, and step-up/step-down approaches.
Why It Matters
Asthma and related respiratory diseases drive major clinical decision-making in primary care, allergy/immunology, and pulmonary medicine because diagnosis, severity assessment, and treatment escalation depend on standardized measurement and guideline-based pathways. "Standardisation of spirometry" (2005) provides procedural and quality-control standards that directly affect whether airflow limitation is measured reliably enough to support diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring; this has practical consequences for confirming asthma, distinguishing obstruction patterns, and tracking response to therapy. Reference equations determine what counts as “normal” lung function for an individual patient: "Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr age range: the global lung function 2012 equations" (2012) derived continuous prediction equations using over 160,000 data points from 72 centres in 33 countries, enabling more consistent interpretation across ages and populations. In clinical management, guideline frameworks shape medication selection, risk assessment, and prevention strategies at scale—"Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (2007) and "GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION" (1996) codify stepwise approaches and diagnostic criteria, while "Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease" (2012) provides a parallel evidence-based structure for COPD. Comorbidity integration matters in real care pathways: "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008*" (2008) frames allergic rhinitis as an IgE-mediated inflammatory disorder and positions it as clinically linked to asthma, motivating coordinated evaluation and treatment rather than siloed management.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
Start with "Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (2007) because it lays out practical diagnostic criteria and management structure that clarifies how research endpoints (control, exacerbations, lung function) map onto clinical decisions.
Key Papers Explained
Clinical management frameworks connect directly to measurement standards: "GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION" (1996) and "Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (2007) define how asthma is diagnosed and treated, while Miller et al. (2005) in "Standardisation of spirometry" specifies how lung function should be measured so those definitions can be applied consistently. Quanjer et al. (2012) in "Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr age range: the global lung function 2012 equations" then determines how measured values are normalized across ages and populations, which affects threshold-based categorization. Comorbidity and population context are added by Bousquet et al. (2008) in "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008*" and Asher et al. (2006) in "Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys," which situate asthma within allergic disease frameworks and global symptom trends.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Advanced work often hinges on harmonizing phenotypes and outcomes across cohorts using standardized spirometry (Miller et al., 2005) plus globally comparable reference equations (Quanjer et al., 2012), then embedding these measures into guideline-defined severity and control constructs ("Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (2007)). A parallel advanced direction is integrated upper–lower airway disease management and research design guided by "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008*" (2008), particularly for studies that aim to jointly model allergic inflammation and asthma outcomes.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention ... | 2012 | American Journal of Re... | 16.0K | ✓ |
| 2 | Standardisation of spirometry | 2005 | European Respiratory J... | 15.4K | ✓ |
| 3 | GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION | 1996 | Arerugī/Arerugi | 10.1K | ✕ |
| 4 | Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease | 2002 | Journal of Cardiopulmo... | 5.9K | ✕ |
| 5 | Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr a... | 2012 | European Respiratory J... | 5.6K | ✓ |
| 6 | Hay fever, hygiene, and household size. | 1989 | BMJ | 5.0K | ✓ |
| 7 | Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008* | 2008 | Allergy | 4.6K | ✓ |
| 8 | Spirometric Reference Values from a Sample of the General U.S.... | 1999 | American Journal of Re... | 4.2K | ✕ |
| 9 | Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma,... | 2006 | The Lancet | 4.2K | ✕ |
| 10 | Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Manage... | 2007 | — | 4.1K | ✕ |
In the News
Getting stuck into mucus to find new treatments for severe ...
Wednesday, 21 January 2026 Experts in respiratory medicine have received funding to better understand how mucus is controlled in the lungs and how it contributes to severe asthma.
Apply to Advance Asthma and Allergic Diseases Translational Research
Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Centers (U19, Clinical Trial Optional). The AADCRC program will support centers that integrate clinical and translational research to conduct studies on mec...
Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Centers (U19 Clinical Trial Optional)
This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) invites applications from single institutions or consortia of institutions to participate in the Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Centers ...
Lung Health Research: Investing in the Future
Today, we support research excellence across all four pillars of health research: biomedical, clinical, health services, and population health. Let’s create breathing breakthroughs! _Reach out to_
Funded Research, 2017-2025
Asthma Canada Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation Canadian Respiratory Research Network (CRRN) Cystic Fibrosis Canada Astra Zeneca Canada
Code & Tools
Asthma is one of the most prevalent respiratory disorders, which can be identified by different modalities such as speech, wheezing of lung sounds ...
# Abstract:
main aim of this article is to propose a novel lightweight inception network to classify a wide spectrum of respiratory diseases using lung sound s...
The sound of breathing recorded at the patient's mouth contains a lot of information that can be used to diagnose respiratory diseases. The project...
analysis. This paper revisits audio pattern recognition and machine learning techniques for asthma medication adherence assessment and presents the...
Recent Preprints
Global, regional, and national burden of chronic respiratory diseases and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990–2023: a Global Burden of Disease study
Chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumoconiosis, interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary sarcoidosis, are major global causes of m...
Global, regional, and national burden of asthma from 1990 to ...
Asthma is one of the diseases that pose a serious threat to human health globally. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study from 1990 to 2021 conducted a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence,...
Characterizing adult asthma: a cross-sectional ...
Asthma is a highly prevalent disease worldwide, with significant morbidity and mortality. Globally, it remains the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease, affecting over 262 million people 1 . ...
Global, regional, and national burden of asthma from 1990 to 2021: A systematic analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021 - PubMed
**Background:**Asthma is a prevalent non-communicable disease that affects individuals of all ages and has emerged as a significant global public health concern. This study aims to conduct a compre...
Latest asthma Research Papers/Journal Articles
Asthma, recognized by the World Health Organization as a major noncommunicable disease (NCD) impacting both children and adults, stands as the most prevalent chronic condition among children around...
Latest Developments
Recent developments in asthma and respiratory disease research include the discovery of a new potential cause of asthma involving previously unknown molecules that may influence inflammation (Powers Health), the approval of the biologic drug depemokimab (Exdensur) by the US FDA for severe asthma treatment (GSK), and the development of a method to predict asthma attacks up to five years in advance with high accuracy (Karolinska Institutet). Additionally, new treatments such as the twice-yearly biological medication approved by the UK in December 2025 are being introduced, alongside ongoing clinical trials exploring causes and management strategies (GOV.UK, UCSF).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of spirometry in diagnosing and monitoring asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases?
Spirometry is a core objective test for measuring airflow and lung volumes, and its clinical reliability depends on standardized procedures and quality control. "Standardisation of spirometry" (2005) specifies key elements from instrument requirements to testing procedure and quality assurance, enabling consistent interpretation across sites and studies.
How are “normal” spirometry values defined across different ages and populations?
Normal ranges are defined using reference equations derived from large, diverse datasets and paired with lower limits of normal to reduce misclassification. "Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr age range: the global lung function 2012 equations" (2012) reported derivation from over 160,000 data points from 72 centres in 33 countries to produce continuous prediction equations across ages 3–95 years.
Which guideline documents are most frequently used to structure asthma and COPD management in research and practice?
For asthma, widely cited frameworks include "GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION" (1996) and "Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (2007). For COPD, "Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease" (2012) provides an extensively cited strategy document.
How is allergic rhinitis conceptually linked to asthma in the clinical literature?
Allergic rhinitis is described as an IgE-mediated inflammatory disorder of the nasal mucosa after allergen exposure, and it is treated as a global health problem with major disability burden. "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008*" (2008) explicitly frames allergic rhinitis in relation to asthma, supporting integrated assessment of upper- and lower-airway disease.
Which papers provide evidence about population-level time trends in childhood asthma symptoms?
"Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys" (2006) is a central multicountry cross-sectional source for symptom prevalence trends. Its ISAAC Phase comparisons are commonly used to contextualize changing childhood symptom patterns alongside allergic comorbidities.
Why do hypotheses about hygiene and household size appear in discussions of asthma and allergic disease epidemiology?
Epidemiologic hypotheses about early-life exposures and allergic outcomes are historically influential in interpreting trends in asthma and hay fever. Strachan (1989) in "Hay fever, hygiene, and household size." is a highly cited anchor for this line of reasoning and is often used to motivate mechanistic and cohort studies of early-life environmental determinants.
Open Research Questions
- ? Which spirometric quality-control elements in "Standardisation of spirometry" (2005) most strongly influence between-site variability in obstructive disease classification when applied across large multicentre asthma studies?
- ? How should researchers choose between population-specific spirometry reference values and the globally derived equations in "Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr age range: the global lung function 2012 equations" (2012) to minimize diagnostic misclassification in diverse cohorts?
- ? Which integrated treatment pathways for coexisting allergic rhinitis and asthma, as framed by "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008*" (2008), measurably improve respiratory outcomes when implemented in routine care?
- ? What methodological differences between ISAAC phases in "Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys" (2006) most affect comparability of reported symptom trends across countries?
- ? How can guideline-defined asthma severity and control constructs in "Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (2007) be operationalized to improve reproducibility of phenotype definitions in clinical research datasets?
Recent Trends
Within a large corpus of 176,099 works, highly cited consensus documents and measurement standards continue to anchor reproducible research and clinical translation, especially "Standardisation of spirometry" , "Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95-yr age range: the global lung function 2012 equations" (2012), and major guideline strategies for asthma and COPD. Recent emphasis on globally comparable interpretation is reflected in the scale of spirometry reference derivation reported by Quanjer et al. (2012): over 160,000 data points from 72 centres in 33 countries.
2005Population-level surveillance remains central for interpreting changes in disease burden and comorbid allergy patterns, with "Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys" serving as a key reference point for trend-oriented research questions.
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