Provided is the use of an agent selected from an antibody or an immunologically active fragment thereof which binds to alpha-4 integrin or a dimer comprising alpha-4 integrin for preparation of a medicament for the chronic treatment of pathological inflammation associated with disorders selected from the group consisting of asthma, atherosclerosis, AIDS, dementia, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, transplant rejection, graft versus host disease, tumor metastasis, nephritis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, myocardial ischemia, chronic prostatitis, complications from sickle cell anemia, lupus erythematosus, and acute leukocyte mediated lung injury in a patient, wherein the medicament contains a therapeutically effective amount of the agent and is formulated for chronic administration, and wherein the chronic administration is for a period of at least 6 months.