TY - JOUR T1 - Histamine challenges discriminate between symptomatic and asymptomatic children JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 246 LP - 253 DO - 10.1183/09031936.01.17202460 VL - 17 IS - 2 AU - B. Niggemann AU - S. Illi AU - C. Madloch AU - K. Völkel AU - S. Lau AU - R. Bergmann AU - E. von Mutius AU - U. Wahn AU - MAS-Study Group Y1 - 2001/02/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/17/2/246.abstract N2 - The aims of this study were to investigate a threshold value for bronchial responsiveness in children aged 7 yrs, which discriminates between symptomatic and asymptomatic children, and to identify determinants of this responsiveness.Titrated bronchial histamine challenges using the reservoir method were performed in 645 children aged 7 yrs, from the birth cohort Multicentre Allergy Study (MAS).When defining a reference population of healthy children within the MAS cohort, the 95th percentile of the provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in forced expired volume in one second PC20 among these asymptomatic study subjects amounted to 0.60 mg·mL−1. This resulted in a specificity of 93.0% and a sensitivity of 45.9%, for discriminating between “current wheezers” and “non-current wheezers”. Determinants of airway responsiveness at this age were pulmonary function, sensitization to indoor allergens, total immunoglobulin E and current wheeze.The results indicate that a very low cut-off provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in forced expired volume in one second (<1.0 mg·mL−1) defines airway hyperresponsiveness in children aged 7 yrs using the reservoir method. Provocation protocols for histamine challenges in this age group should therefore start with concentrations markedly below 1.0 mg·mL−1.The Multicentre Allergy Study (MAS-90) has been supported by the German Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT), Grant No. 01EE9406. ER -