UC Davis offers a new treatment for severe asthma Ariel Noriega
remembers her first debilitating asthma attack. She was in
elementary school playing basketball. Since then, both asthma
and sports have been central in her life. A new treatment now
available at UC Davis Health System, however, may allow the
20-year-old college water polo player to concentrate more on
sports. Recommended for those with severe asthma that does not
always respond to medication, the treatment — known as bronchial
thermoplasty — removes portions of smooth muscle tissue in the
lungs that constrict during an asthma attack. "Newer medications
are very effective for most people with severe asthma, but they
don't work for everyone," said Nicholas Kenyon, a UC Davis
associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine and
one of Noriega's physicians. "We're lucky to have this option in
our treatment arsenal, especially in Sacramento, which is one of
the asthma hubs in California." Asthma — a chronic disease that
inflames and narrow