INFLUENCE OF AIRWAY INFLAMMATORY CHANGES ON AIRWAY HYPERRESPONSIVENESS IN ASTHMATICS

The effect of changes of airway inflammation on airway nonspecific rea ctivity were studied in 29 patients with chronic asthma. Detailed exam inations of bronchial lavage (BAL) fluid and airway responses to hista mine, propranolol and exercise were performed before and after treatme nt. The patients treated with steroids had significant improvements in parameters of BAL fluid cells and mediators with consistent changes o f decreasing airway reactivities to propranolol and exercise after tre atment. Whereas no significant changes occurred in the patients treate d with B2-agonist either in inflammatory parameters or airway response s. On the other hand, airway response to histamine changed little in a ll asthmatic patients. Our study implied that inhibiting the airway in flammation in asthmatics may lead to marked decrease of airway respons e to non-mediator stimuli but fail to attenuate bronchial hyperrespons e to mediator stimuli like histamine.