Airway neutrophil inflammation in nonasthmatic patients with food allergy.
BACKGROUND
Patients with food allergy (FA) have been recently shown to develop bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), despite the absence of any concomitant asthmatic manifestation. In order to explain this observation, we sought to examine the presence of a bronchial inflammation in induced sputum of nonasthmatic patients with FA.


METHODS
Twelve nonasthmatic patients with FA (urticaria, digestive symptoms, anaphylaxis) were included in the study. Results were compared to these obtained from eight asthmatic patients without food allergy and eight healthy controls. Diagnosis of FA was based on double-blind placebo-controlled challenge. Sputum cells and fluid-phase eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were measured in induced sputum. BHR was evaluated using methacholine inhalation.


RESULTS
Sputum from asthmatics, in comparison with the sputum of healthy subjects and patients with FA contained a higher proportion of eosinophils and higher levels of ECP (< 0.001). In marked contrast, patients with FA exhibited an increased proportion of neutrophils and IL-8 in comparison with asthmatics and controls (P < 0.05 for neutrophils and P < 0.001 for IL-8). There was a significant correlation between sputum neutrophils and IL-8 (r = 0.68, P < 0.001). MPO levels were not different between the groups. There was a trend toward higher levels of IL-8 and ECP in food allergic patients with BHR in comparison with patients with FA without BHR.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate that a subclinical neutrophil airway inflammation is present in patients with food allergy free of clinical respiratory symptoms and that IL-8 may be an important mediator of this neutrophilia.
Wallaert
Benoit
B
Clinique des Maladies Respiratoires, Service de Pneumologie et Immuno-allergologie, Hôpital A. Calmette, CHRU Lille, 59037 Lille Cedex, France.
Gosset
P
P
Lamblin
C
C
Garcia
G
G
Perez
T
T
Tonnel
A B
AB
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012260:Ribonucleases; D012882:Skin Tests; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D001798:Blood Proteins; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D016209:Interleukin-8; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D009195:Peroxidase; D012260:Ribonucleases