Chest tightness is relieved with the use of asthma drugs except bronchodilators

摘要

Objective: Many patients with a chief complaint of chest tightness are examined in medical facilities, and a lack of diagnosis is not uncommon. We have reported that these patients often include those with chest tightness relieved with bronchodilator use (CTRB) and those with chest tightness relieved with the use of asthma drugs except bronchodilators (CTRAEB). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the clinical characteristics of the patients with CTRAEB and compare them with data from patients with CTRB. Methods: Patients with CTRB (n?=?13) and CTRAEB (n?=?7) underwent a bronchodilator test, assessments of airway responsiveness to methacholine, bronchial biopsy, and bronchial lavage under fiberoptic bronchoscopy before receiving treatment. In all, 10 healthy subjects, 11 bronchial biopsy control patients, and 10 asthmatic patients were recruited for comparison. Results: Inhalation of a short-acting ?(2)-agonist (SABA) increased the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) by 5.1%???4.0% in patients with CTRB and by 1.3%???3.5% in patients with CTRAEB, and the difference was statistically significant (p?=?0.0449). The bronchial biopsy specimens from the patients with CTRB and CTRAEB exhibited significant increases in T cells (p?