Search

To investigate the relationship between local responsiveness and allergic symptoms, bronchial and nasal responsiveness were measured in the following four groups of subjects: (i) bronchial asthma patients with serum house dust mite (HDM)-specific IgE antibody; (ii) allergic rhinitis patients with serum HDM-specific IgE antibody; (iii) normal control subjects with HDM-specific IgE antibody; and (iv) normal control subjects without IgE antibody specific for 10 common aero-allergens. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness was detected in all subjects with asthma (group 1) and in some subjects from groups 2 and 3, but not in subjects from group 4. Nasal hyperresponsiveness was found in all subjects with allergic rhinitis (group 2) and in some subjects from groups 1 and 3, but not in subjects from group 4. These findings indicate that local hyperresponsiveness of the non-diseased organ is influenced by an individual's atopic status. Interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was measured after stimulation with HDM in groups 1, 2 and 3 and was found to be similar in all three groups. A correlation between bronchial hyperresponsiveness and in vitro cytokine production was noted in asthma patients. These results suggest that the capacity of IL-4 or IL-5 production by PBMC may reflect local hyperresponsiveness in case of asthma.