Acute salbutamol bronchoprotection against methacholine: asthma compared to copd

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to direct stimuli is a characteristic feature of asthma and is thought to be due to airway smooth muscle dysfunction1. Patients with non-asthmatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrate AHR to direct stimuli (e.g. methacholine, histamine); this AHR correlates with the degree of airflow obstruction2-4 and is thought to be, in whole or in part, a function of altered airway geometry. We hypothesized that to the extent that AHR in COPD was due to geometric effect(s) of airflow obstruction, it would be less protected by acute treatment with beta agonist.

Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - March 30, 2020 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Donald W. Cockcroft, Beth E. Davis, Greg Tollefson, Madison Yurach Pikaluk Tags: Letters Source Type: research