Changes in airway responsiveness and relative factors in asthma with remission at puberty.
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the airway responsiveness and its relative factors in asthma with natural remission at puberty.


METHODS
The airway responsiveness was evaluated by provocation of methacholine (PC20). Blood sIL-2R, IL-4 and IFN-gamma values in the cultural supernatant of mononuclear cells, eosinophil count, basophil count and basophil releasability were detected in 18 asthmatic cases with remission at puberty (group I), in 20 asthmatics without remission at puberty (group II), and in 30 healthy controls (group III).


RESULTS
The mean value of PC20 in group I was significantly lower than that in group III (P < 0.01), but still higher than that in group II (P < 0.01). The blood sIL-2R, and eosinophil counts dropped almost to those of group III, significantly lower than those of group II. IL-4 in the culture supernatant of mononuclear cells was similar to group III, but significantly lower than that in group II. However IFN-gamma was also similar to group III, significantly higher than that of group II. The basophil count and positive rate of human basophil degranulation test stimulated by mannitol with hyper-osmolarity were still abnormal, significantly higher than those of group III, and the basophil level was significantly related to the airway responsiveness.


CONCLUSIONS
The asthmatics with remission at puberty have a certain degree of airway hyper-responsiveness that is related to the abnormality of basophil.
Xu
Y
Y
Laboratory of COPD, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200001, China.
Yao
S
S
Shao
L
L
Zhu
L
L
Deng
Y
Y
Wang
J
J
Sun
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001491:Basophils / Q000502:physiology; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000209:etiology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology*; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis
D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma