Several diseases of the airways have a strong component of allergic inflammation in their
cause, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, polypoid chronic rhinosinusitis, eosinophilic
bronchitis, and others. Although the roles played by antigens and pathogens vary, these
diseases have in common a pathology that includes marked activation of epithelial cells in
the upper airways, the lower airways, or both. Substantial new evidence indicates an
important role of epithelial cells as both mediators and regulators of innate immune …