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PubMed · 4017525

Office diagnostic methods for allergic diseases.

R J Morris
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Abstract

The practice of allergy has been revolutionized in the past 20 years and has undergone a welcome transformation from an arcane art to an immunology-based clinical science. (It is hoped that the best features of the art will be retained, however.) An understanding of allergy diagnosis should provide the requisite information for the primary care physician to choose an allergy consultant wisely, and to understand the scientific basis of his methods and recommendations.

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Bronchial Provocation TestsEosinophilsHumansHypersensitivityImmunoglobulin ELeukocyte CountMethacholine CompoundsRadioallergosorbent TestSkin TestsJournal Article

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BibTeXRIS

R J Morris. 1985. Office diagnostic methods for allergic diseases.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4017525/

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PubMed2006

Capsaicin cough sensitivity in bronchiectasis.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis is a suppurative airway disease characterised by persistent cough and sputum production associated with bronchial dilatation. A study was undertaken to determine whether cough sensitivity is increased in bronchiectatic patients. METHODS: Twenty two patients with bronchiectasis and 20 healthy non-smoking controls matched for age and sex were recruited into the study. Quality of life (Leicester Cough Questionnaire score), total cough symptom score, and extent of bronchiectasis on HRCT scans were recorded. Cough sensitivity was assessed using incremental inhalation of capsaicin concentrations; the concentration at which 5 or more coughs occurred (C5) was recorded. RESULTS: Patients with bronchiectasis had increased sensitivity to capsaicin compared with controls (mean (SE) log10 C5 1.22 (0.20) v 1.89 (0.21); p<0.03). Capsaicin sensitivity correlated positively with the Leicester Cough Questionnaire score (r = 0.64; p = 0.005) and inversely with the total cough symptom score (r = -0.58; p = 0.004), but not with the extent of the disease. It also correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in litres (r = 0.58; p = 0.005) but not with FEV1 % predicted. Capsaicin sensitivity was not related to the presence of infected sputum or to corticosteroid or bronchodilator use. CONCLUSIONS: : Patients with bronchiectasis have a sensitive cough reflex which reflects the severity of cough symptoms. A measure of cough severity could be part of health assessment for patients with bronchiectasis.

Bronchial Provocation Tests↗
PubMed2006

[Comparison of unspecific bronchial provocation during controlled and spontaneous inhalation].

Using controlled breathing patterns during inhalation of drugs is characterized by a high dose reproducibility which may be of advantage for bronchial provocation testing. In this study 30 healthy subjects with an anamnesis of atopy underwent in a randomized cross-over design bronchial provocation testing with methacholine either with the Viasys-Jäger-APS system or with controlled inhalations (AKITA-System) (controlled inhalation volume and flow). Measured was the frequency of positive test results. Positive test results were defined by a 20 % decline of FEV (1) or a 100 % increase of specific airway resistance (sRaw). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of positive test results obtained with both techniques: APS-FEV (1) : 8, AKITA-FEV (1) : 9; APS-sRaw: 18, AKITA-sRaw: 17. More subjects showed a 100 % increase of sRaw as compared to a 20 % decrease of FEV (1), which may be interesting in order to understand differences in the diagnostic information given by both parameters. However, there were some discrepancies: only in 25 of 30 cases (sRaw: 21 of 30 cases) the results (positive or negative) agreed between both techniques. Although the two techniques for bronchial provocation test showed some discrepancies, these data suggest that controlled inhalations may be an alternative to the APS-system.

Bronchial Provocation Tests↗