Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1983 Aug;38(8):584–588. doi: 10.1136/thx.38.8.584

Effect of negative ionisation of inspired air on the response of asthmatic children to exercise and inhaled histamine.

I Ben-Dov, I Amirav, M Shochina, I Amitai, E Bar-Yishay, S Godfrey
PMCID: PMC459615  PMID: 6351332

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of negative ionisation of inspired air on bronchial reactivity, 11 asthmatic children were challenged twice by exercise and 10 were challenged twice by histamine inhalation. The children breathed negatively ionised air (4 X 10(5) - 10 X 10(5) ions/cm3) or control room air in random order in a double-blind fashion. All challenges were matched in terms of basal lung function and the exercise tests were matched in terms of ventilation and respiratory heat loss. Exercise-induced asthma was significantly attenuated by exposure to negatively ionised air, the mean postexercise fall in one-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1) being 29% (SE 5%) of the initial value after the control and 21% (3%) after the ionised air test (p less than 0.02). Ten of the 11 subjects developed less exercise-induced asthma while breathing ionised air. Although the median dose of histamine (cumulative breath units) which caused a constant fall in FEV1 for each individual was higher with the ionised air challenge than with the control challenge the difference was not significant. Five of the 10 subjects were less sensitive to histamine and the other five more sensitive when breathing ionised air. It is concluded that negative ionisation of inspired air can modulate the bronchial response to exercise but the effect on the response to histamine is much more variable.

Full text

PDF
584

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Badré R., Guillerm R., Hée J., Razouls C. Etude in vitro de l'effet des ions atmosphériques légers sur l'activité ciliaire de l'épithélium trachéal. Ann Pharm Fr. 1966 Jun;24(6):469–478. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bar-Or O., Neuman I., Dotan R. Effects of dry and humid climates on exercise-induced asthma in children and preadolescents. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1977 Sep;60(3):163–168. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(77)90119-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Boushey H. A., Holtzman M. J., Sheller J. R., Nadel J. A. Bronchial hyperreactivity. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1980 Feb;121(2):389–413. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1980.121.2.389. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chai H., Farr R. S., Froehlich L. A., Mathison D. A., McLean J. A., Rosenthal R. R., Sheffer A. L., Spector S. L., Townley R. G. Standardization of bronchial inhalation challenge procedures. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1975 Oct;56(4):323–327. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(75)90107-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Curry J. J. THE ACTION OF HISTAMINE ON THE RESPIRATORY TRACT IN NORMAL AND ASTHMATIC SUBJECTS. J Clin Invest. 1946 Nov;25(6):785–791. doi: 10.1172/JCI101764. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Deal E. C., Jr, McFadden E. R., Jr, Ingram R. H., Jr, Strauss R. H., Jaeger J. J. Role of respiratory heat exchange in production of exercise-induced asthma. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1979 Mar;46(3):467–475. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1979.46.3.467. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. JONES R. S., BUSTON M. H., WHARTON M. J. The effect of exercise on ventilatory function in the child with asthma. Br J Dis Chest. 1962 Apr;56:78–86. doi: 10.1016/s0007-0971(62)80005-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jones D. P., O'Connor S. A., Collins J. V., Watson B. W. Effect of long-term ionized air treatment on patients with bronchial asthma. Thorax. 1976 Aug;31(4):428–432. doi: 10.1136/thx.31.4.428. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Juniper E. F., Frith P. A., Dunnett C., Cockcroft D. W., Hargreave F. E. Reproducibility and comparison of responses to inhaled histamine and methacholine. Thorax. 1978 Dec;33(6):705–710. doi: 10.1136/thx.33.6.705. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KRUEGER A. P., SMITH R. F. The biological mechanisms of air ion action. II. Negative air ion effects on the concentration and metabolism of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the mammalian respiratory tract. J Gen Physiol. 1960 Nov;44:269–276. doi: 10.1085/jgp.44.2.269. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lee T. H., Nagy L., Nagakura T., Walport M. J., Kay A. B. Identification and partial characterization of an exercise-induced neutrophil chemotactic factor in bronchial asthma. J Clin Invest. 1982 Apr;69(4):889–899. doi: 10.1172/JCI110528. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Makino S. Clinical significance of bronchial sensitivity to acetylcholine and histamine in bronchial asthma. J Allergy. 1966 Sep;38(3):127–142. doi: 10.1016/0021-8707(66)90036-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Osterballe O., Weeke B., Albrechtsen O. Influence of small atmospheric ions on the airways in patients with bronchial asthma. Allergy. 1979 Jun;34(3):187–194. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1979.tb01566.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Palti Y., De Nour E., Abrahamov A. The effect of atmospheric ions on the respiratory system of infants. Pediatrics. 1966 Sep;38(3):405–411. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. WINSOR T., BECKETT J. C. Biologic effects of ionized air in man. Am J Phys Med. 1958 Apr;37(2):83–89. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES