title: Asthma vs. non-specific reversible airflow obstruction: clinical features and responsiveness to anticholinergic drugs.
abstract: 85 subjects with 20% reversibility in FEV1 were classified into the categories of asthma (55 patients) and non-specific airflow obstruction (30 patients), respectively, on the basis of the presence or absence of eosinophilia (in the blood or sputum). Asthmatics were further subdivided into the atopic and non-atopic subgroups, respectively, on the basis of skin prick tests. Clinically, paroxysmal nocturnal wheezing was more significantly associated with asthma than with non-specific airflow obstruction. Atopic asthmatics were distinguished from patients with non-specific airflow obstruction by their younger age at presentation and at onset of obstructive symptoms, by a history of allergic provocation of wheezing, a family history of asthma and other atopic diseases, and by a lower incidence of mucus hypersecretion. The last 3 symptoms also distinguished atopic from non-atopic asthma. Furthermore, unlike patients with non-atopic asthma or patients with non-specific airflow obstruction, atopic asthmatics had a significant impairment of bronchodilator responsiveness to inhaled anticholinergic drugs.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000187:drug effects*; D000420:Albuterol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001286:Atropine Derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D007428:Intradermal Tests; D009241:Ipratropium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D001286:Atropine Derivatives; D010276:Parasympatholytics; C006649:methylatropine; D009241:Ipratropium; D007545:Isoproterenol; D000420:Albuterol