Effects of deep inhalation in asthma: relative airway and parenchymal hysteresis

Asthmatic subjects were screened for the effects or volume history on the degree of induced airway obstruction with methacholine by comparing isovolumic maximal expiratory flows (Vmax) from partial expiratory flow-volume curves (P) begun near functional residual capacity (FRC) followed by maximal expiratory flow-volume (M) maneuvers begun from total lung capacity (TLC). The isovolumic Vmax values from M and P maneuvers defined two groups: one had a high M/P ratio (high group), indicating a large degree of reversal with deep inhalation, another had a low M/P ratio (low group), indicating minimal reversal. No differences were found between groups. A more complete study was later performed in which we measured specific airway conductance (sGaw) and anatomical dead space (VD) as indices of airway size and hysteresis before and after deep inhalation. The area of quasi-static transpulmonary pressure (Ptp) volume (V) curves from FRC to TLC and back to FRC was measured as an index of parenchymal hysteresis. At base line both groups showed a decrease in both sGaw and VD after a deep inhalation (DI). After constriction neither group changed VD after DI, whereas sGaw increased significantly in the high group after DI. This suggests that dilation of airways with DI occurred peripheral to those contributing to VD in the high group. The areas of the Ptp-V curves were equal at base line; yet the increase in areas with constriction in the low group was much greater.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)