title: Airway blood flow responses to temperature and humidity of inhaled air.
abstract: We determined the effect of breathing cold dry air (-39 degrees C, 0.1% relative humidity, RH) and warm humid air (43 degrees C, 100% RH) on airway mucosal blood flow (Qaw) in normal human subjects (n = 8, age 25-53 years) at rest. Qaw was measured with a dimethylether uptake technique which reflects blood flow in the mucosa of large airways corresponding to a 50 ml anatomical dead-space segment extending distally from the trachea. Mean Qaw was 10.1 +/- 1.9 ml min-1 (mean +/- S.D.) during room air breathing (25 degrees C, 70% RH) and decreased to 4.7 +/- 2.1 ml min-1 during cold dry air breathing (p < 0.05). Within 20 min of resuming room air breathing, mean Qaw had returned to baseline. Breathing warm humid air had no significant effect on mean Qaw (8.2 +/- 1.4 ml min-1). These results indicate that quiet breathing of frigid air causes vasoconstriction in central airways.
authors.affiliation: Pneumologie-Medecine A. CHU de Nimes, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Le Merre
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Chediak
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wanner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000388:Air; D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000098:blood supply*; D013696:Temperature