Skip to main content
PMC home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1987 Feb;42(2):100–104. doi: 10.1136/thx.42.2.100

Airway responsiveness in wheezy infants: evidence for functional beta adrenergic receptors.

A Prendiville 1, S Green 1, M Silverman 1
PMCID: PMC460631  PMID: 2829374

Abstract

The effect of nebulised salbutamol on the bronchial response to nebulised histamine was studied in five wheezy infants aged 3-12 months. The response to doubling concentrations of up to 8 g/l of histamine was assessed by the change in the maximum flow at FRC (VmaxFRC), measured by flow-volume curves produced during forced expiration with a pressure jacket. The concentration of histamine required to provoke a 30% fall in VmaxFRC (PC30) was measured. All of the infants responded to low concentrations of histamine during control tests before and after nebulised saline (mean PC30 1.07 and 0.51 g/l). On a separate day there was a similar response to histamine before salbutamol (PC30 0.57 g/l), but after salbutamol the response was completely abolished up to the maximum concentration of histamine in all subjects (PC30 greater than 8 g/l). Thus wheezy infants have highly effective beta 2 adrenoceptors in intrathoracic airways.

Full text

PDF
102

Selected References

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

  1. Bouhuys A., Van de Woestijne K. P. Mechanical consequences of airway smooth muscle relaxation. J Appl Physiol. 1971 May;30(5):670–676. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1971.30.5.670. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Duncan P. G., Brink C., Douglas J. S. Beta-receptors during aging in respiratory tissues. Eur J Pharmacol. 1982 Feb 19;78(1):45–52. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(82)90370-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Duncan P. G., Douglas J. S. Age-related changes in guinea pig respiratory tissues: considerations for assessment of bronchodilators. Eur J Pharmacol. 1985 Jan 15;108(1):39–48. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(85)90281-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hariparsad D., Wilson N., Dixon C., Silverman M. Reproducibility of histamine challenge tests in asthmatic children. Thorax. 1983 Apr;38(4):258–260. doi: 10.1136/thx.38.4.258. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Holtzman M. J., Sheller J. R., Dimeo M., Nadel J. A., Boushey H. A. Effect of ganglionic blockade on bronchial reactivity in atopic subjects. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1980 Jul;122(1):17–25. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1980.122.1.17. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Nadel J. A., Barnes P. J. Autonomic regulation of the airways. Annu Rev Med. 1984;35:451–467. doi: 10.1146/annurev.me.35.020184.002315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Persson C. G., Erjefält I., Grega G. J., Svensjö E. The role of beta-receptor agonists in the inhibition of pulmonary edema. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1982;384:544–557. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1982.tb21399.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Prendiville A., Green S., Silverman M. Bronchial responsiveness to histamine in wheezy infants. Thorax. 1987 Feb;42(2):92–99. doi: 10.1136/thx.42.2.92. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Prendiville A., Green S., Silverman M. Paradoxical response to nebulised salbutamol in wheezy infants, assessed by partial expiratory flow-volume curves. Thorax. 1987 Feb;42(2):86–91. doi: 10.1136/thx.42.2.86. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Radford M. Effect of salbutamol in infants with wheezy bronchitis. Arch Dis Child. 1975 Jul;50(7):535–538. doi: 10.1136/adc.50.7.535. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rutter N., Milner A. D., Hiller E. J. Effect of bronchodilators on respiratory resistance in infants and young children with bronchiolitis and wheezy bronchitis. Arch Dis Child. 1975 Sep;50(9):719–722. doi: 10.1136/adc.50.9.719. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Salome C. M., Schoeffel R. E., Yan K., Woolcock A. J. Effect of aerosol fenoterol on the severity of bronchial hyperreactivity in patients with asthma. Thorax. 1983 Nov;38(11):854–858. doi: 10.1136/thx.38.11.854. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Silverman M. Bronchodilators for wheezy infants? Arch Dis Child. 1984 Jan;59(1):84–87. doi: 10.1136/adc.59.1.84. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Silverman M., Prendiville A., Green S. Partial expiratory flow-volume curves in infancy: technical aspects. Bull Eur Physiopathol Respir. 1986 May-Jun;22(3):257–262. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Stocks J., Levy N. M., Godfrey S. A new apparatus for the accurate measurement of airway resistance in infancy. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1977 Jul;43(1):155–159. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1977.43.1.155. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stocks J. The functional growth and development of the lung during the first year of life. Early Hum Dev. 1977 Dec;1(3):285–309. doi: 10.1016/0378-3782(77)90041-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stocks J., Thomson A., Silverman M. The numerical analysis of pressure-flow curves in infancy. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1985 Jan-Feb;1(1):19–26. doi: 10.1002/ppul.1950010107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stokes G. M., Milner A. D., Hodges I. G., Henry R. L., Elphick M. C. Nebulised therapy in acute severe bronchiolitis in infancy. Arch Dis Child. 1983 Apr;58(4):279–282. doi: 10.1136/adc.58.4.279. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Taussig L. M., Landau L. I., Godfrey S., Arad I. Determinants of forced expiratory flows in newborn infants. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1982 Nov;53(5):1220–1227. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1982.53.5.1220. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Whitsett J. A., Machulskis A., Noguchi A., Burdsall J. A. Ontogeny of alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptors in rat lung. Life Sci. 1982 Jan 11;30(2):139–145. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(82)90645-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES