Regional variation of airway hyperresponsiveness in children with asthma

• Published in: Respiratory medicine Vol. 99; no. 4; pp. 403 - 407
• Main Authors: Carroll, W.D., Lenney, W., Proctor, A., Whyte, M.C., Primhak, R.A., Cliffe, I., Jones, P.W., Strange, R.C., Fryer, A.A., Child, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2005; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Airway hyperresponsiveness; Asthma; Asthma - epidemiology; Asthma - genetics; Asthma - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - epidemiology; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - genetics; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - physiopathology; Child; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; England - epidemiology; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume - physiology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Pedigree; Phenotype; Pneumology; Regional variation; Residence Characteristics; Vital Capacity - physiology; England; Regional variation; Asthma; Airway hyperresponsiveness; Human; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Variations; Bronchus disease; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Regional; Child
• ISSN: 0954-6111; 1532-3064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2004.09.002

Families with asthmatic children were recruited to take part in a multi-centre collaborative study into the genetics of asthma. Detailed phenotypic information was collected on all family members including: lung function, anthropomorphic measurements, response to methacholine challenge, skin prick testing, serum IgE measurements and a detailed nurse-administered questionnaire. Families were eligible for entry into the study if they had two children with a doctor-diagnosis of asthma. Bennett/Twin nebulisers were supplied to each centre from a single source and these were calibrated to determine gravimetric nebuliser output prior to use. Asthmatic probands from each centre had similar degrees of asthma severity and atopy. There was no significant difference in the sex ratios or ages of the probands or numbers of parents with a history of smoking in the families recruited at each centre. However, there was a significant difference in the number of children with airway hyperresponsiveness, with 90% of the North Staffordshire group but only 60% of the Sheffield group having a PC 20 of <8 mg/ml for methacholine. This difference highlights the difficulty of using families from different centres in genetic and epidemiological studies.