PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - P Fontanari
AU  - MC Zattara-Hartmann
AU  - H Burnet
AU  - Y Jammes
TI  - Nasal eupnoeic inhalation of cold, dry air increases airway resistance in asthmatic patients
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.97.10102250
DP  - 1997 Oct 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 2250--2254
VI  - 10
IP  - 10
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/10/2250.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/10/2250.full
SO  - Eur Respir J1997 Oct 01; 10
AB  - The aim of this study was to establish a relationship between bronchial hyperreactivity to carbachol and reflex bronchomotor response to the activation of cold receptors in the nose, and also to examine whether any differences exist between asthmatic patients with or without symptoms of rhinitis. The changes in interrupting resistance (Rint) induced by nasal eupnoeic inhalation of cold (-5 degrees C) dry air were measured in 22 normal subjects and in 18 asthmatic patients (nine of whom had asthma with rhinitis and nine without) with bronchial hyperreactivity to carbachol. In normal individuals, nasal cold air challenge induced a significant increase in Rint (+31%). This was also the case in asthmatic patients (asthma with rhinitis +49%; asthma alone +40%), but the increase was not significantly larger than for normal individuals. The magnitude of Rint increase induced by nasal cold air breathing was correlated with the sensitivity to carbachol (defined as the dose inducing a 50% increase in specific airway conductance (D50)) in asthmatic patients with symptoms of rhinitis. These observations suggest that airway hyperreactivity is associated with enhanced bronchoconstrictor response to the activation of nasal cold receptors, particularly when rhinitis is present.