Allergen-induced changes in airway responsiveness are not related to indices of airway edema

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
R S PeeblesA Togias

Abstract

The mechanisms behind airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma are unknown. Airway wall edema has been proposed as one possible culprit of this phenomenon. To test the hypothesis that airway edema may be the cause of allergen-induced increases in airway responsiveness in asthma, this trial aimed at determining the relationship between allergen-induced changes in airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine and indirect indices of edema, namely peripheral airway resistance and the levels of the plasma protein fibrinogen in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. Twenty-six atopic individuals with mild asthma were subjected to bronchoscopy at baseline and 28 hours after allergen inhalation. Before each bronchoscopy, methacholine bronchoprovocation was performed. During bronchoscopy, peripheral airway resistance measurements were obtained by wedged bronchoscopy. BAL fluids were analyzed for fibrinogen, as well as for eosinophilic cationic protein. Cytology was performed, and cytokine gene expression was assessed with competitive reverse transcriptase PCR from cell pellets. A significant increase in airway responsiveness to methacholine was recorded after allergen, but this did not correlate with changes in peripheral airway resistance (...Continue Reading

Citations

May 7, 2002·American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine·Elizabeth L J Van RensenPeter J Sterk
Sep 23, 2014·The European Respiratory Journal·Brian G G OliverJudy Black
Jun 4, 2004·Treatments in Respiratory Medicine·R Graham Barr, Carlos A Camargo
Mar 14, 2012·The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology·Robert S TepperAlkis Togias

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