title: Chemical mediator and cellular reaction in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with steroid-dependent intractable asthma (SDIA).
abstract: The effects of long-term glucocorticoid therapy on chemical mediator and cellular reaction in the airways were examined in 69 patients with bronchial asthma. The histamine release induced by Ca ionophore A23187 from cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of atopic asthmatics was significantly lower in the subgroup with steroid-dependent intractable asthma (SDIA) than in non-SDIA patients (p < 0.05). In contrast, histamine release in nonatopic SDIA patients did not differ from nonatopic non-SDIA patients. The release of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) was significantly lower in atopic patients with SDIA (p < 0.02). However, there was no significant difference in LTC4 release between nonatopic patients with SDIA and without SDIA. The proportion of BAL lymphocytes was significantly lower in atopic patients with SDIA than in those without it (p < 0.05), although there was no significant difference between the nonatopic patients with and without SDIA. These results show that glucocorticoids affect humoral and cellular events in the airways of atopic asthmatics more than in those of nonatopic asthmatics.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine, Misasa Medical Branch, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mifune
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanizaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mitsunobu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kajimoto
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kimura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D001980:Bronchi / Q000503:physiopathology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006636:Histamine Release; D006801:Humans; D017997:Leukotriene C4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008875:Middle Aged; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D017997:Leukotriene C4