Jc. Celedon et al., Bronchodilator responsiveness and serum total IgE levels in families of probands with severe early-onset COPD, EUR RESP J, 14(5), 1999, pp. 1009-1014
Bronchodilator responsiveness has been associated with a subsequent acceler
ated decline in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), Therefore, b
ronchodilator responsiveness and total serum immunoglobulin E(IgE) levels w
ere assessed in 184 adult first-degree relatives of probands with severe ea
rly-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a control group.
Greater bronchodilator responsiveness was found among current smokers or ex
smokers who were first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands than i
n currently or exsmoking controls, expressed as increase in FEV1 as a perce
ntage of baseline (5.8+/-8.1 versus 2.9+/-5.1%, p<0.01), absolute increase
in FEV1 from baseline (120+/-130 versus 60+/-110 mL, p<0.05), and increase
in FEV1 as a percentage of the predicted value (3.6+/-4.1 versus 2.2+/-3.9%
, p<0.05). However, elevated total serum IgE Levels were not found in first
-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands compared with control subjec
ts.
The increased bronchodilator responsiveness among currently smoking/exsmoki
ng first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands suggests that these
individuals may have enhanced susceptibility to the detrimental effects of
cigarette smoking.