Allergy
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In addition to histamine, mast cells contain other potent mediators which can contribute to the allergic wheal reaction in the skin. ⋯ The novel finding was that IL-4-positive, but not tryptase- and chymase-positive, mast cells are intimately associated with the extent of the prick-test wheal.
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Eosinophilic airway inflammation is the hallmark of asthma, but it has also been reported in other conditions such as allergic rhinitis. We have tested whether the analysis of cells and chemicals in sputum can distinguish between patients with mild allergic asthma, those with allergic rhinitis, and healthy controls. The relationship between inflammation markers in sputum and nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine (BHR) (PD20 and maximal response plateau [MRP] values) was also evaluated. ⋯ Induced sputum is an accurate method to study bronchial inflammation, allowing one to distinguish between rhinitis patients and mildly asthmatic patients. The fact that no relationship was detected between sputum inflammation and BHR suggests that other factors, such as airway remodeling, may be at least partly responsible for BHR in asthma.