Severity of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is related to airway eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma.

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is widely prevalent in asthmatic patients. Eosinophilic airway inflammation is considered to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the effects of eosinophilic airway inflammation on EIB have been elucidated insufficiently. To examine the relationship between the severity of EIB and eosinophilic inflammation, sputum induction and exercise challenge were performed in 21 asthmatic patients. Significantly higher percentages of eosinophils and levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were found in induced sputum in EIB-positive asthmatics (median (range), eosinophils: 23.5 (11.0-61.0)%; ECP: 1,475 (74.8-17,701) ng x mL(-1)) than in EIB-negative asthmatics (eosinophils: 6.0 (1.0-41.5)% (p=0.006); ECP: 270.6 (10.8-7,700) ng x mL(-1) (p=0.049)). There was a significant correlation between the severity of EIB and the sputum eosinophil percentage (r=0.59, p=0.009) and the level of ECP (r=0.47, p=0.037). The area under the curve of the forced expiratory volume in one second for 30 min after exercise correlated with the percentage of eosinophils (r=0.60, p=0.008) and the level of ECP (r=0.45, p=0.04). There was no correlation between airway responsiveness to methacholine on the one hand and EIB, sputum eosinophils or ECP on the other. In conclusion, these results provide evidence that the severity of bronchoconstriction evoked by exercise is more closely related to eosinophilic airway inflammation than airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine in asthmatic patients.