PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review bronchial provocations tests used in the measurement of bronchial hyperresponsiveness to help in the diagnosis of asthma. RECENT FINDINGS The bronchial provocations tests reviewed include exercise, methacholine, AMP and mannitol, with reference to methodology and monitoring of treatment. SUMMARY Methacholine is used for identifying bronchial hyperresponsiveness a...

INTRODUCTION There are few studies investigating the association between BCG vaccination and atopy or asthma in adults. OBJECTIVE We investigated the association between BCG scar and the occurrence of atopy and asthma in Korean adults. METHODS We carried out a retrospective study of Korean adults who underwent skin prick testing, and, in some cases, spirometry and bronchial provocation test...

BACKGROUND Allergen Immunotherapy is a promising treatment of allergy. Seven patients with rhinoconjunctivitis to grass allergen were treated with intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) to explore whether this treatment could be performed. Effect of treatment was assessed as change in symptom medication score, response in skin prick test and nasal allergen provocation. ILIT deposits allergen in an...

Allergic diseases such as asthma and rhinitis are common in many countries. Globally the most common allergen associated with symptoms is produced by house dust mites. Although the bed has often been cited as the main site of exposure to mite allergens, surprisingly this has not yet been directly established by measurement due to a lack of suitable methods. Here we report on the development of ...

After several cases of occupational asthma had been reported in a coffee processing factory in England, 197 coffee workers representing 80% of the production workforce were studied to determine the factors affecting the development of work related respiratory symptoms of wheeze, cough, and dyspnoea. Two computer administered questionnaires concerning the presence of respiratory symptoms and the...

STUDY OBJECTIVE One week of regular treatment with salmeterol can induce tolerance to the protective effect of a beta2-agonist on early airway response to allergen (EAR). The objective was to assess whether inhaled corticosteroids revert tolerance to salmeterol. STUDY DESIGN The study had a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twelve subjects with mild a...

BACKGROUND Bilateral nasal allergen provocation usually produces more pronounced obstruction of one nasal passage. It was found that this could be related to the stage of the nasal cycle before the provocation. OBJECTIVE To discover whether the stage of the nasal cycle is decisive for asymmetry in congestive response observed during bilateral allergen nasal provocation. methods. Two bilateral...

A cross sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and asthma in 3067 students aged 11-17 years in an urban and a rural area of Guangzhou (Canton), China. The methods used included a self administered questionnaire, a histamine bronchial provocation test, and allergen skinprick tests. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness was defined as a 20% fall in FE...