title: Pre-eclampsia is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness.
abstract: Several large retrospective cohort studies demonstrate that pre-eclampsia is common in asthmatics. Whether airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a hallmark of asthma, is associated with pre-eclampsia is unknown. We measured AHR, using a methacholine challenge, and atopy in 19 women 3-60 months postpartum following pre-eclamptic or normotensive pregnancies. The geometric mean (95% CI) concentration of methacholine required to produce a >20% fall in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (PC20 FEV1) was 8.9 (2.2-36) mg/ml in pre-eclamptics versus 72 (32-131) mg/ml in controls (P = 0.01) and 9 (1.9-40) mg/ml in atopic pre-eclamptics without asthma versus 54 (17-174) mg/ml (P = 0.038) in matched controls. Therefore, AHR was increased in women who have had pre-eclampsia. This association and its possible mechanisms warrant further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Lung Health, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldie
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waugh
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Brightling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III