[Chronic airway inflammation and atopic features in cough variant asthma].

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the chronic airway inflammation and atopic features in 17 patients with cough variant asthma (CVA).

METHODS

(1) Allergen skin prick test, and the atopy index (AI) calculation. (2) Fiberoptic bronchoscopy, inflammatory score of airway membrane under bronchoscopy. (3) Biopsy of the airway membrane and calculation of the eosinophil infiltration. (4) Bronchoalveolar lavage, classification of various cells in the BALF. (5) House dust mite and rabbit antihuman IgE induced histamine release from mast cell. The results were compared with those in 9 patients with typical asthma (Group 8) and 7 normal subjects (Group C).

RESULTS

The number of EOS and mast cells in BALF and the AI of CVA group were found higher than in control group.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Similar to typical asthma, IgE dependent type I allergic reaction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of CVA. (2) Chronic inflammation including eosinophil infiltration was shown in airway membrane in CVA. (3) Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and chronic inflammation of the airway membrane in CVA are less severe than those in typical asthma. (4) In patients who are in difficulty of making a diagnose of CVA clinically. BAL and biopsy of the bronchial membrane will help to make a definite diagnosis.