An Analysis of Factors Associated with Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Mild to Moderate Asthma

抄録

The aim of this study was to examine the association between airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in asthmatic patients and various factors, including the duration of asthma, the thickness of the epithelial reticular basement membrane (Rbm), and eosinophilic inflammation or total IgE in blood. We measured the thickness of Rbm in bronchial biopsy specimens. Spirometric tests and histamine challenge tests were also performed to evaluate airflow obstruction and AHR. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between PC20 histamine values with duration of asthma, thickness of Rbm, eosinophil percentage in sputum and blood, and total IgE in blood. Furthermore, we used stepwise regression analysis to determine which factors were closely correlated with AHR. This study showed that AHR was most associated with the thickness of Rbm. The results suggest that the prevention and improvement of the airway structural changes should be considered as one of the targets of asthma treatment.