Characteristics of young atopic adults with self-reported past wheeze and airway hyperresponsiveness

The present study aimed to illustrate clinical characteristics of spirometric measures and allergy sensitisation among young atopic adults who reported wheezing episodes before adulthood but were not diagnosed with asthma by physicians and have no current wheeze symptoms (self-reported past-wheezers), especially those who exhibited airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).

Fifty self-reported past-wheezers were divided into two groups according to AHR to methacholine. Spirometric functions and blood atopic parameters were compared in these groups with those in 25 age-matched atopic adults with a history of childhood asthma diagnosed by specialists but have no current wheeze symptoms (past-asthmatics) and in 60 counterparts without a previous and current wheezing episode (never-wheezers).

Twenty-one of the 50 past-wheezers exhibited AHR (PC(20) < 8 mg/ml). Levels of spirometric function and allergic sensitization in both past-wheezer groups were intermediate between those in never-wheezers and past-asthmatics. Lower FEV(1) and FEF(25-75) values (% predicted) were observed in self-reported past-wheezers with AHR relative to those without AHR. More blood eosinophils and higher serum levels of total IgE and IgE specific to house dust mites were observed in self-reported past-wheezers with AHR relative to those without AHR.

Our findings raise the possibility that self-reported past-wheezers with AHR might form a distinct subgroup with features similar to past-asthmatics, which is one of the risk groups for adult asthma.