The relationship of skin test positivity, high serum total IgE levels, andperipheral blood eosinophilia to symptomatic and asymptomatic airway hyperresponsiveness

The relationships of skin test positivity, high serum total IgE levels (> 1 00 kU/L), and peripheral blood eosinophilia (greater than or equal to 275 c ells/mu l) to symptomatic (either chronic cough, chronic phlegm, bronchitis episodes, dyspnea, wheeze, or asthma) and asymptomatic bronchial hyperresp onsiveness (BHR) were studied cross-sectionally in 620 adult subjects who p articipated in the Vlagtwedde-Vlaardingen Study of 1989 and 1990. Eosinophi lia (OR = 2.06, 95%, CI = 1.28 to 3.31) and skin test positivity (OR = 1.66 , 95% CI = 1.02 to 2.71) were both significantly associated with BHR indepe ndent of age, sex, smoking, and urban area of residence. High serum total I gE levels were not associated with BHR (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.81 to 2.03). Separate analyses For symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects showed that the higher risk of BHR with skin test positivity applied only to symptomatic s ubjects (OR = 5.78, 95% CI = 1.63 to 20.51), independent of eosinophilia an d high serum total IgE levels. The higher risk of BHR with eosinophilia was not different between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects, and independe nt of skin test positivity and high serum total IgE levels. The results of this study show that, in the general adult papulation, eosinophilia is asso ciated with BHR both In symptomatic and asymptomatic persons, whereas skin test positivity is associated with BHR only in symptomatic subjects.