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Neither asthma nor chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a single disease, but rather these conditions are complex and heterogeneous in terms of their associated traits and comorbidities, with small airways being implicated in the pathology and physiology of these conditions.

The small or peripheral airways can be defined as those airways beyond the 8th generation of the bronchial tree. They are often referred to as the “silent zone” of the lungs, and contribute to the resistance in the airways of patients with obstructive airways disease. Small airways disease (SAD) has been associated with poor asthma control, increased exacerbation frequency, and poor quality of life. In patients with severe COPD, the narrowing and loss of small airways has been shown to precede the emphysematous destruction4 and to be associated with increased mortality. Consequently, the small airways are an important therapeutic target in individuals with these conditions. To this end, targeted treatment using extrafine particle inhalers is now available.

Details

The speakers included Dr Li Ping Chung on the topic of small airways disease, Associate Professor Claude Farah on the application and interpretation of forced oscillation technique in clinical situations and, Ms Amy Bertolin on the more practical aspects of conducting oscillometry.

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