Airway reactivity and obstruction: relationship to pollutant induced bronchoconstriction in asthmatics

Conference · Wed Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 1986 · Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7022204

Horstman, D; Folinsbee, T

The authors have observed broad individual variations in the pulmonary function responses of mild, methacholine sensitive asthmatics exposed to the common air pollutants, sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/, n=27), nitrogen dioxide (NO/sub 2/, n=13) and ozone (O/sub 3/, n=21). The purpose of this study was to determine if variables which are indicative of airway reactivity (MS, methacholine sensitivity; EIB, exercise induced bronchoconstriction) or airway obstruction (BSRAW, baseline specific airway resistance; FEV1/FVC, ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 sec to forced vital capacity) were related to pollutant induced responses of SRaw and FVC. SRaw and FVC responses were defined as the difference between pre and post pollutant exposure corrected for the difference between pre and post clean air exposure. Pearson product moment analysis was used to determine correlation coefficients (r). The most significant single variable related to the response of SRaw was BSRaw for SO/sub 2/ (r = 0.55, p = 0.003) and NO/sub 2/ (r = 0.79, p = 0.001), and FEV1/FVC for O/sub 3/ (r = -0.47, p = 0.03). No significant relationships occurred for the response of FVC. They conclude that baseline airway obstruction accounts for much of the variance in bronchoconstriction experienced by asthmatics exposed to air pollutants; it does not account for changes in lung volume.

• Research Organization: HERL-USEPA, Chapel Hill, NC
• OSTI ID: 7022204
• Report Number(s): CONF-8604222-
• Journal Information: Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States), Vol. 45:4; Conference: 70. annual meeting of the Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology, St. Louis, MO, USA, 13 Apr 1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ASTHMA
PATHOGENESIS
BRONCHI
VASOCONSTRICTION
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
TOXICITY
OZONE
SULFUR DIOXIDE
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
EXERCISE
CHALCOGENIDES
DISEASES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
550900 - Pathology