title: Associations of airway inflammation and responsiveness markers in non asthmatic subjects at start of apprenticeship.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is considered a hallmark of asthma. Other methods are helpful in epidemiological respiratory health studies including Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FENO) and Eosinophils Percentage (EP) in nasal lavage fluid measuring markers for airway inflammation along with the Forced Oscillatory Technique measuring Airway resistance (AR). Can their outcomes discriminate profiles of respiratory health in healthy subjects starting apprenticeship in occupations with a risk of asthma?
  
  
  METHODS
  Rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma-like symptoms, FEV1 and AR post-Methacholine Bronchial Challenge (MBC) test results, FENO measurements and EP were all investigated in apprentice bakers, pastry-makers and hairdressers not suffering from asthma. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was simultaneously conducted in relation to these groups and this generated a synthetic partition (EI). Associations between groups of subjects based on BHR and EI respectively, as well as risk factors, symptoms and investigations were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 441 apprentice subjects, 45 (10%) declared rhinoconjunctivitis-like symptoms, 18 (4%) declared asthma-like symptoms and 26 (6%) suffered from BHR. The mean increase in AR post-MBC test was 21% (sd = 20.8%). The median of FENO values was 12.6 ppb (2.6-132 range). Twenty-six subjects (6.7%) had EP exceeding 14%. BHR was associated with atopy (p < 0.01) and highest FENO values (p = 0.09). EI identified 39 subjects with eosinophilic inflammation (highest values of FENO and eosinophils), which was associated with BHR and atopy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Are any of the identified markers predictive of increased inflammatory responsiveness or of development of symptoms caused by occupational exposures? Analysis of population follow-up will attempt to answer this question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, INRS, Rue du Morvan, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy 54500, France. valerie.demange@inrs.fr
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Demange
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zmirou-Navier
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tossa
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bohadana
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbaud
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003296:Cooking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers