[Relation between the sialic acid/fucose ratio in airway secretions and the degree of airway remodeling in bronchial asthma--reversibility of airflow limitation by beta-agonists and airway remodeling in bronchial asthma].

Airway remodeling caused by inflammation is believed to affect both airway hyperresponsiveness and the reversibility of airflow limitation. Airway remodeling entails changes in the bronchial secretion system. Mucin, one of the glycoprotein components of airway secretions, is a major product of submucosal glands and goblet cells. Airway remodeling causes both qualitative and quantitative changes in much production. We evaluated the relationship of airway remodeling, estimated by the change in glycoprotein in sputum, to airway hyperresponsiveness and to reversibility in patients with bronchial asthma. The %FEV1 after inhalation of a beta agonist was less in patients with severe asthma than in those with mild asthma. The sialic acid/fucose ratio in sputum correlated significantly with the slope of the dose-response curve during inhalation challenge, and with the %FEV1 after beta-agonist inhalation. These results suggest that the sialic acid/ fucose ratio in airway secretions reflects the degree of the airway remodeling in bronchial asthma.