[Metabolic aspects of bronchial hyperreactivity to physical exertion in bronchial asthma]

The blood levels of stress mediators--catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline), parameters characterizing the intensity of lipid peroxidation (hydroperoxides, blood antioxidant activity (from the levels of SH groups), and the content of prostaglandins F2 alpha and E (PGF2 alpha and PGE) were measured in patients with bronchial asthma and chronic asthmatic bronchitis before and after exercise. The studies have revealed that bronchial hyperreactivity to exercise is in accord with the high blood levels of catecholamines, hydroperoxides, PGF2 alpha and low content of thiol group reflecting the depression of the total antioxidant system in asthmatics. Increase of catecholamine, hydroperoxide, and PGF2 alpha levels and decrease of the total thiol group content after muscular exercise in the patients with bronchial asthma is in accord with the bronchial reactivity. Changes in the bronchoconstrictor PGF2 alpha are the most marked and measurements of its blood levels and computation of the PGF2 alpha/PGE coefficient may help assess the bronchial hyperreactivity without resorting to provocative tests.