A comparison of the pharmacological modulation of hyperalgesia and bronchial hyperresponsiveness

It has been proposed that there may be similarities in the mechanisms contributing toward hyperalgesia/allodynia observed in various clinical pain syndromes and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in asthma. Both features are characterized by an increase in responsivity to various stimuli. In the case of pain, these include increase in responsiveness to mechanical and thermal stimuli whilst asthmatics bronchoconstrict in response to substances that are otherwise innocuous. A variety of mediators can induce hyperalgesia and pain when injected into the skin and these same mediators are also released during an inflammatory insult in the airways and in many cases can induce hyperresponsiveness experimentally. In this review, a comparison of the pharmacological modulation of afferent activity in hyperalgesia and in BHR will be made to ascertain whether any commonality exists between the treatment of these two disease states.