ASSESSMENT OF BRONCHIAL HYPERRESPONSIVENE SS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY

First used to evaluate individuals with symptoms suggestive of asthma, the assessment of bronchial hyperresponsiveness is now commonly used in epidemiological studies, available methods being reproducible and p ortable. This chapter defines how to assess bronchial hyperresponsiven ess in epidemiological studies, which factors need to be considered, w hat is the prevalence in different populations and finally what are th e indications for measuring bronchial hyperresponsiveness in epidemiol ogical studies.