Welcome

This tutorial is intended for medical practitioners and physicians, medical students, lung function technicians and for others who have basic medical knowledge, and who wish to familiarize themselves with the pathophysiological mechanisms which play a role in bronchial hyperresponsiveness.

The information is divided into the following chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Hyperresponsiveness
3. Particle size and deposition
4. Airway structure and function.
5. Control mechanisms
6. Assessing airway responsiveness

Each chapter is subdivided into various elements, as shown in the navigation bar on the right, and is concluded with interactive questions which allow you to test whether you have grasped the basic elements.

The following persons are gratefully acknowledged for their contributions:

• Prof. R.J. Tepper and Prof. P.J. Sterk for extensively reviewing the texts,
• Dr. M.N.B.M. Driessen for providing the photographs of pollen,
• Dr. H. van Krieken for providing slides of pathological material,
• Dr. H. Meurs for reviewing parts of the text.