Abstract
Study objective: The lower limit for the baseline value to initiate methacholine bronchial hyperresponsiveness testing has not been well established. Recommendations have varied from > 1 L to above 80% of predicted. The objective was to determine if an FEV1 <60% predicted was acceptable. Design: Retrospective analysis of challenges in 88 patients with a baseline FEV1 of <60% predicted (mean=45.8%; range, 22 to 59%. Setting: Academic institutions. Results: There were only four individuals whose FEV1 did not return to >90% of baseline following one poststudy β2-agonist treatment. All four responded to a second treatment. There were no adverse sequelae following challenge in any individual. Neither age (up to 79 years) nor gender influenced outcome. Conclusions: In chronic moderate to severe asthma, it appears that bronchial hyperresponsiveness testing can be safely performed even in those patients with a low baseline FEV1.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 53-56 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | CHEST |
Volume | 112 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1997 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine