Determinants of Corticosteroid Insensitivity in Smokers With Asthma

Smokers with asthma display a relative insensitivity to inhaled and oral corticosteroids. The causes of this phenomenon are currently unknown. However research into steroid resistance in severe asthma and the smoking related condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) points to a number of possible causes. We will characterise a group of smokers with asthma and perform a number of investigations and compare the results to ex-smokers and never smokers with asthma with the aim of establishing which previously published steroid resistance phenomena are related to the steroid resistance displayed by smokers with asthma. Results produced from this trial will provide hypothesis generating information leading to future pharmaceutical trials.