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Hyperoxic attenuation of exercise-induced bronchospasm in asthmatics
The Journal of Clinical Investigation
|January 1, 1979
Summary
Oxygen breathing during exercise significantly reduces exercise-induced bronchospasm in asthmatics by acting on the carotid bodies, unlike in healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Respiratory Medicine
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is a common condition in asthmatics.
- The precise mechanism underlying EIB remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of carotid bodies in the mechanism of EIB.
- To determine if oxygen administration during exercise affects EIB in asthmatics.
Main Methods:
- Specific airway conductance was measured before and after exercise in healthy individuals and asthmatics (with and without carotid body resection).
- Subjects exercised on a cycle ergometer breathing either air or oxygen.
- Carotid body function was assessed indirectly through responses to oxygen administration during exercise.
Main Results:
- Asthmatics consistently experienced bronchospasm after exercise when breathing air.
- Oxygen inhalation during exercise markedly attenuated bronchospasm in asthmatics with intact carotid bodies.
- Oxygen had no significant effect on bronchospasm in asthmatics who had undergone carotid body resection.
Conclusions:
- Carotid bodies play a crucial role in mediating exercise-induced bronchospasm in asthmatics.
- Oxygen administration attenuates EIB in asthmatics, suggesting a chemoreceptor-mediated response involving the carotid bodies.
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