Asthma.

Item 4 of this magazine programme deals with new ways of treating and preventing asthma. At Southampton General Hospital, medication has been developed which prevents the body from producing the chemical which blocks the airways. This medication is in tablet form and is administered together with a steroid inhalant. Further work at Southampton involves the trial of a vaccine to prevent asthma. It is thought that oversensitivity to allergens occurs through the body's excessive production of TH2 cells. The vaccine increases the production of TH1 cells to counteract this excess.