STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate the predictive value of atopy, smoking, and living in a farm environment in the development of chronic bronchitis. DESIGN This was a cross sectional and longitudinal study. SETTING Postal surveys carried out in Finland in 1975 and 1981. PARTICIPANTS The study was part of the Finnish twin cohort study, which included adult twin pairs born in Finland before 19...

In two groups of patients, 15 with asthma and 15 with chronic bronchitis, the bronchodilator effects of ipratropium bromide, of fenoterol plus theophylline, and of the combination of the three drugs, were compared using a double-blind, single-dose, placebo-controlled format. Ipratropium bromide caused rapid bronchodilatation which was not significantly different in asthmatic patients and patien...

1. The viscosity of sputum in patients with chronic bronchitis has been measured with the Weissenberg rheogoniometer, a cone and plate system, using oscillatory movement at low shear rates. 2. A characteristic pattern is described not previously reported for sputum or any other biological fluid. 3. Sputum viscosity decreased steadily with increasing shear rate; over a narrow range of shear rate...

the broader category of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is characterized by a chronic, predominantly irreversible reduction in maximal airflow velocity. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and to a lesser extent bronchiectasis comprise the majority of COPD (Figure 1). Chronic bronchitis is a disease process identified clinically as the presence of a productive cough on mo...

BACKGROUND Previous studies revealed that reduction of airway caliber in infancy might increase the risks for wheezing and asthma. However, the evidence for the predictive effects of pulmonary function on respiratory health in children was still inconsistent. METHODS We conducted a population-based prospective cohort study among children in 14 Taiwanese communities. There were 3,160 children ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by chronic and progressive dyspnoea, cough and sputum production. T-lymphocytes may play a key role in the pathogenesis of COPD and chronic bronchitis. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen (CTLA) 4 is a potential candidate gene because it modulates T-cell activation. Genetic association between nine CTLA4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (S...

BACKGROUND Eosinophilic bronchitis is a condition characterised by a corticosteroid responsive cough, sputum eosinophilia, and normal tests of variable airflow obstruction and airway responsiveness. We performed a detailed comparative immunopathological study to test the hypothesis that the different airway function in patients with eosinophilic bronchitis and asthma reflects differences in the...