title: Plasma histamine after methacholine, allergen, and aspirin challenges.
abstract: Plasma histamine levels were measured by radio-enzymatic technique in seven patients following 10 challenges: five methacholine challenge tests, four antigen inhalation challenge tests, and one oral aspirin challenge test. Baseline plasma histamine was the same in all patients except in the aspirin-challenged patient, who had a higher baseline histamine level. There was no statistical change in the level of histamine throughout the test in either the methacholine-challenged or the antigen-challenged patients, whereas there was a marked increase in histamine levels in the aspirin challenged patient. A possible explanation is that methacholine and antigen are inhaled and therefore have primarily local effects on the lung, whereas oral aspirin has a systemic effect with consequently systemic changes in histamine which are detectable as changes in plasma level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kinsella
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salari
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chan-Yeung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000941:Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000139:chemically induced; D017705:Lignans; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008688:Methacholine Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009284:Naphthols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D014908:Triticum / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D017705:Lignans; D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D009284:Naphthols; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D006632:Histamine; C008938:plicatic acid; D001241:Aspirin