No abstract

The applicability of nasal challenge for etiologic diagnosis of extrinsic asthma was evaluated by assessing easiness of performance, precision, and cost of a standardized test by metered nebulizer in 20 asthmatics with and without concurrent rhinitis submitted also to skin prick tests and RAST. Although less sensitive than in the group with rhinitis (where precision was 90.4%), the nasal provocation test proved to be an easy, inexpensive, and specific (82.3%) means for contributing to the identification of allergic sensitization in patients affected by asthma alone.

Combinations of beta-stimulant and anticholinergic drugs have been advocated as a potentially useful tool in the treatment of reversible airway obstruction. We investigated the effectiveness and safety of a metered aerosol preparation delivering fenoterol 100 µg and ipratropium bromide 40 µg per puff: two dosages (2 puffs and 4 puffs) were used in 16 asthmatic patients, and their acute effects (up to 420 min) were investigated in a double-blind randomized trial. The results point out a reasonably good response to both dosages, with no notable difference between them as far as vital capacity, FEV₁, MMEF and Vmax75 are concerned. This finding indicates the possibility of achieving a satisfactory bronchodilation at beta-stimulant dosages far lower than the standard ones commonly used and therefore minimizing the risk of untoward cardiovascular effects.