title: Airway hyperreactivity detected by methacholine challenge in children with sickle cell disease.
abstract: Recent studies have emphasized the presence of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). However, various tests for the detection of AHR have yielded distinctly different results in these patients. This study identified AHR via a methacholine challenge test (MCT) in a group of children with SCD (31 patients; age range, 6-16 years). The results of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with SCD and age-matched controls (30 healthy children) were investigated and compared. A positive methacholine challenge result was noted in 25 patients (77.5%). We found that when compared with controls, the children with SCD had lower forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV(1)) and that both their forced expiratory flow at 25-75% of the FVC (FEF(25-75)) and their FEV(1)/FVC ratio were not statistically significantly different from those of the controls. The statistically significant differences remained after treatment with a bronchodilator agent, but the changes in the FVC, FEV(1), and FEF(25-75) in response to bronchodilator treatment did not differ with statistical significance between the two groups. There was a negative correlation between the number of ACS attacks and the percent predicted of the FEV(1) and the FEV(1)/FVC ratio. We found that the MCT reveals a high incidence of AHR in patients with SCD, regardless of whether those individuals have ACS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Allergy, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. ozlemozbek@superonline.com
authors.forename: Ozlem Yilmaz
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Ozbek
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Malbora
authors.forename: Nazan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Ayse Canan
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: Emel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozyurek
authors.forename: Namik
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozbek
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests / Q000379:methods; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D016210:Methacholine Chloride