Forty-five asthmatic subjects were treated with aerosol and intravenous administration of heparin. Immediate effects (within 30 minutes) were obtained in 20 out of 45 cases (44.4%). Delayed efficacy which appears several hours after the administration was observed in 15 out of 23 cases (65.2%).
The increased efficacy of heparin was demonstrated in the cases whose age or age of onset was over 40 years. The values of FEV1.0%, V50 and V25 were lower in the effective cases than in the non-effective cases. The cases in which heparin was effective showed a lower bronchial response to salbutamol inhalation.
The metabolism of plasma heparin after the intravenous administration was increased in the attack stage of bronchial asthma compared to that in healthy subjects, although no significant difference in the metabolism of plasma heparin was shown between the effective and the non-effecive cases.
