title: Autologous serum skin test reactivity in patients with non-allergic asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inflammatory alterations of respiratory airways have been found in patients with non-allergic asthma, but the triggering event has not been defined. An autoimmune activation of inflammatory cells has been hypothesized.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether histamine-releasing factors are present in sera from non-allergic asthmatics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four patients with non-allergic asthma underwent in vivo autologous serum skin test (ASST) and in vitro basophil histamine release assay using autologous basophils as well as basophils from normal donors. Twenty-seven subjects with respiratory allergy and three normal subjects were chosen as control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ASST was positive in 14/24 non-allergic asthmatics (58%) whereas it was negative in all 30 control subjects (P<0.001). The serum of only one ASST-positive patient out of 12 (8.4%) induced in vitro histamine release from autologous basophils. The serum from another ASST-positive patient induced histamine release from membrane IgE-stripped autologous basophils. Sera from either non-allergic asthmatics or from control subjects did not provoke significant histamine release from basophils from three normal donors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Skin reactivity to autologous serum is common among non-allergic asthmatics, indicating the presence of circulating histamine-releasing factors. However, only in a minority of patients in vitro functional evidence of histamine-releasing autoantibodies (anti-FcepsilonRI or anti-IgE) was obtained. The presence of circulating histamine-releasing factors might contribute to initiation/maintenance of inflammation in respiratory airways of non-allergic asthmatics.
authors: Second Division of Internal Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tedeschi
authors: A L
authors: AL
authors: Comi
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Lorini
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Tosini
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Miadonna
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001491:Basophils / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006636:Histamine Release / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies