title: IgE-mediated and age-related bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with asthma. relationship to family history of the disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to uncover any differences in the age-related and IgE-mediated pathophysiology of the airways in asthmatics.
  
  
  METHODS
  we examined the relationship of both IgE-mediated bronchial hyperresponsiveness and the cell content of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid with a family history of asthma in 263 patients with asthma classified according to age at onset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  bronchial hyperresponsiveness decreased significantly as age at onset increased in those without a family history. Responsiveness was significantly higher in patients who were > or = 60 years of age at onset who had a family history than in those who did not (P < 0.05). The proportion of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was significantly higher in patients between 50 and 59 years old at onset who had a family history than those who did not (P < 0.05). These results suggest that bronchial hyperresponsiveness and the proportion of bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes differ according to the presence or absence of a family history, a finding which is closely related to IgE-mediated allergy in elderly patients at onset.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  our findings suggest (i) the possibility of asthma induced by non-IgE-mediated allergy in elderly patients and (ii) that bronchial responsiveness is also influenced by IgE-mediated allergy and age at onset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Tottori, Misasa, Japan. fumin@ccews2.cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mitsunobu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mifune
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hosaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ashida
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsugeno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanizaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000276:immunology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E