title: Interpretation of the results of methacholine inhalation challenge tests.
abstract: Methacholine inhalation challenge studies are conventionally expressed as the provocative cumulative dose of methacholine that causes a 20% fall in FEV1 (PD20). This method is widely used and most suitable for expressing results for challenges in subjects with asthma. However, it is impossible to present results in this manner in other circumstances. Normal subjects and many subjects with allergic rhinitis do not have significant bronchial reactivity and will not reach a 20% fall during standard challenge protocols. This limitation precludes the use of this large population in the quantitative analysis necessary in epidemiologic, genetic, or drug studies. To compound this difficulty, a subset of patients with allergic rhinitis may demonstrate a 20% drop but have a subsequent plateau drop in FEV1. Expressing the results of their methacholine challenge with only a PD20 loses valuable information available in the test. We demonstrate that expressing results as the area beneath a dose-response curve provides useful parametric data on all studied subjects and distinguishes among subjects who might otherwise be classified as equivalent when results are expressed solely as a PD20.
authors.affiliation: Allergic Disease Center, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE 68178.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hopp
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Bewtra
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Townley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D008875:Middle Aged; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D016210:Methacholine Chloride