[The study of clinical pathology on bronchial hyperresponsiveness].

OBJECTIVE

To study mechanism of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and the relationship between asymptomatic BHR and asthma.

METHODS

Bronchial biopsies were taken through fiberoptic bronchoscope from 17 cases of asymptomatic BHR, 12 cases of chronic asthma with remission and 10 normal control subjects. Bronchial mucosas were investigated by light microscopy and transmission electron microscope. Analysed by morphometric technique for the granules in both eosinophils (EOS) and mast cells (MC).

RESULTS

Airway allergic inflammation (AAI) existed in 9 cases (53%) with asymptomatic BHR. It was similar in bronchial mucosal pathologic changes to chronic asthma with remission. Inflammation existed in the other 8 cases (47%), but unlike AAI, there were no infiltration of EOS and MC in bronchial mucosa.

CONCLUSIONS

The pathological changes of asthma in bronchial mucosa were existed in a part of patients with asymptomatic BHR.