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Evidence of airway inflammation and remodeling in ski athletes with and without bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine

Karjalainen, E M ; Laitinen, A ; Sue-Chu, M ; Altraja, A ; Bjermer, Leif LU and Laitinen, L A (2000) In American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 161(6). p.2086-2091
Abstract
Asthma-like symptoms, methacholine hyperresponsiveness, and use of asthma medication are prevalent in elite cross-country skiers. We quantitated mucosal inflammatory cell infiltration and tenascin expression in the subepithelial basement membrane in endobronchial biopsy specimens of the proximal airways from 40 elite, competitive skiers (mean: 17.5; range: 16 to 20 yr) without a diagnosis of asthma, in 12 subjects with mild asthma, and in 12 healthy controls, through immunohistochemistry and indirect immunofluorescence, respectively. All of the subjects were nonsmokers. T-lymphocyte, macrophage, and eosinophil counts were, respectively, greater by 43-fold (p < 0.001), 26-fold (p < 0.001), and twofold (p < 0.001) in skiers, and by... (More)
Asthma-like symptoms, methacholine hyperresponsiveness, and use of asthma medication are prevalent in elite cross-country skiers. We quantitated mucosal inflammatory cell infiltration and tenascin expression in the subepithelial basement membrane in endobronchial biopsy specimens of the proximal airways from 40 elite, competitive skiers (mean: 17.5; range: 16 to 20 yr) without a diagnosis of asthma, in 12 subjects with mild asthma, and in 12 healthy controls, through immunohistochemistry and indirect immunofluorescence, respectively. All of the subjects were nonsmokers. T-lymphocyte, macrophage, and eosinophil counts were, respectively, greater by 43-fold (p < 0.001), 26-fold (p < 0.001), and twofold (p < 0.001) in skiers, and by 70-fold (p < 0.001), 63-fold (p < 0.001), and eightfold (p < 0.001) in asthmatic subjects than in controls. In skiers, neutrophil counts were more than twofold greater than in asthmatic subjects, and mast cell counts were not significantly different than in controls. Tenascin expression (as measured through the thickness of the tenascin-specific immunoreactivity band in the basement membrane) was increased in skiers (median: 6.7 microm; interquartile range [IQR]: 5.3 to 8.5 microm, p < 0.001) and asthmatic subjects (mean: 8.8 microm; IQR: 7.2 to 10.8 microm, p < 0. 001) compared with controls (mean: 0.8 microm; IQR: 0 to 3.1 microm) and did not correlate with inflammatory cell counts. Inflammatory changes were present irrespective of asthmalike symptoms, hyperresponsiveness, or atopy. Prolonged repeated exposure of the airways to inadequately conditioned air may induce inflammation and remodeling in competitive skiers. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
volume
161
issue
6
pages
2086 - 2091
publisher
American Thoracic Society
external identifiers
  • pmid:10852791
  • scopus:0034047733
ISSN
1535-4970
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
00ea76b8-aea6-4e7d-b9fb-fa5696902942 (old id 1116674)
alternative location
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/161/6/2086
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:54:46
date last changed
2022-04-20 23:41:49
@article{00ea76b8-aea6-4e7d-b9fb-fa5696902942,
  abstract     = {{Asthma-like symptoms, methacholine hyperresponsiveness, and use of asthma medication are prevalent in elite cross-country skiers. We quantitated mucosal inflammatory cell infiltration and tenascin expression in the subepithelial basement membrane in endobronchial biopsy specimens of the proximal airways from 40 elite, competitive skiers (mean: 17.5; range: 16 to 20 yr) without a diagnosis of asthma, in 12 subjects with mild asthma, and in 12 healthy controls, through immunohistochemistry and indirect immunofluorescence, respectively. All of the subjects were nonsmokers. T-lymphocyte, macrophage, and eosinophil counts were, respectively, greater by 43-fold (p &lt; 0.001), 26-fold (p &lt; 0.001), and twofold (p &lt; 0.001) in skiers, and by 70-fold (p &lt; 0.001), 63-fold (p &lt; 0.001), and eightfold (p &lt; 0.001) in asthmatic subjects than in controls. In skiers, neutrophil counts were more than twofold greater than in asthmatic subjects, and mast cell counts were not significantly different than in controls. Tenascin expression (as measured through the thickness of the tenascin-specific immunoreactivity band in the basement membrane) was increased in skiers (median: 6.7 microm; interquartile range [IQR]: 5.3 to 8.5 microm, p &lt; 0.001) and asthmatic subjects (mean: 8.8 microm; IQR: 7.2 to 10.8 microm, p &lt; 0. 001) compared with controls (mean: 0.8 microm; IQR: 0 to 3.1 microm) and did not correlate with inflammatory cell counts. Inflammatory changes were present irrespective of asthmalike symptoms, hyperresponsiveness, or atopy. Prolonged repeated exposure of the airways to inadequately conditioned air may induce inflammation and remodeling in competitive skiers.}},
  author       = {{Karjalainen, E M and Laitinen, A and Sue-Chu, M and Altraja, A and Bjermer, Leif and Laitinen, L A}},
  issn         = {{1535-4970}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{2086--2091}},
  publisher    = {{American Thoracic Society}},
  series       = {{American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine}},
  title        = {{Evidence of airway inflammation and remodeling in ski athletes with and without bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine}},
  url          = {{http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/161/6/2086}},
  volume       = {{161}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}