The Respiratory Responses of Subjects With Allergic Rhinitis To Ozone Exposure and Their Relationship To Nonspecific Airway Reactivity

Abstract

Ozone exposure in man produces changes in respiratory function and symptoms. There is a large degree of unexplained intersubject variability in the magnitude of these responses. There is concern that individuals with chronic respiratory diseases may also be more responsive to ozone than normal individuals. The purpose of this study was to describe the responses of subjects with allergic rhinitis to ozone exposure and to compare these responses to those pre viously observed in normal individuals. A further purpose was to measure the association of baseline nonspecific airway reactivity with changes in lung function and respiratory symptoms following ozone exposure. A group of 26 nonasthmatic subjects with allergic rhinitis performed a bronchial inhalation challenge with histamine and subsequently underwent two hour exposures to both clean air and to 0.18 part per million ozone with alternating periods of rest and heavy exercise. The airway reactivity of this group of subjects was no greater than that of a comparable group of subjects without allergic rhinitis. The respiratory responses of these subjects to ozone exposure were similar to those previously reported for sub jects without allergic rhinitis with the exception that the allergic rhinitis subjects appeared to have a modestly increased broncho constrictor response compared to normals. Furthermore, we observed no significant relationships between nonspecific airway reactivity and response to ozone as measured by changes in lung function or the induction of symptoms.

Keywords

air pollution airway reactivity allergic rhinitis ozone pulmonary function.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Beckett, W.S. , Mcdonnell, W.F. , Horstman, D.H. and House, D.E. (1985). Role of the parasympathetic nervous system in the acute lung response to ozone. J. Appl. Physiol. 59:1879-1885.

Buczko, G.B. and Zamel, N. (1984). Combined effect of cigarette smoking and allergic rhinitis on airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 129:15-16.

Cockroft, D.W. , Killian, D.N. , Mellon, J.J.A. and Hargreave, F.E. (1977). Bronchial reactivity to inhaled histamine: a method and clinical survey. Clinical Allergy. 7:235-243.

Dimeo, M.J. , Glenn, M.G. , Holtzman, M.J. , Sheller, J.R. , Nadel, J.A. and Boushey, H.A. (1981). Threshold concentration of ozone causing an increase in bronchial reactivity in humans and adaptation with repeated exposures. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 124:245-248.

Fabbri, L.M. , Aizawa, H. , Alpert, S.E. , Walters, E.H. O'Byrne, P.M. , Gold, B.D. , Nadel, J.A. and Holtzman, M.J. (1984). Airway hyperresponsiveness and changes in cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage after ozone exposure in dogs. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 129:288-291.

Fish, J.E. , Rosenthal, R.R. , Batra, G. , Menkes, H. , Summer, W. , Permutt, S. and Norman, P. (1976). Airway responses to methacholine in allergic and nonallergic subjects. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 113:579-586.

Folinsbee, L.J. , Drinkwater, B.L. , Bedi, J.F. and Horvath, S.M. (1978). The influence of exercise on the pulmonary function changes due to exposure to low concentrations of ozone. In: Environmental Stress: Individual Human Adaptations ( L.J. Folinsbee , J.A. Wagner , J.F. Borgia , B.L. Drinkwater , J.A. Gliner , and J.F. Bedi , eds.), pp 111-124. Academic Press , New York.

Gliner, J.A. , Horvath, S.M. and Folinsbee, L.J. (1983). Preexposure to low ozone concentration does not diminish the pulmonary function response on exposure to higher ozone concentrations . Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 127:51-55.

Holtzman, M.J. , Fabbri, L.M. , O'Byrne, P.M. , Gold, B.D. , Aizawa, H. , Walters, E.H. , Alpert, S.E. and Nadel, J.A. (1983). Importance of airway inflammation for hyperresponsiveness induced by ozone. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 127:686-690.

10.

Horvath, S.M. , Gliner, J.A. and Folinsbee, L.J. (1981). Adaptation to ozone: duration of effect. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 123:496-499.

11.

Kulle, T.J. , Sauder, L.R. , Hebel, J.R. and Chatham, M.D. (1985). Ozone response relationships in healthy nonsmokers . Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 132:36-41.

12.

Mcdonnell, W.F. , Horstman, D.H. , Hazucha, M.J. , Seal, E. , Haak, E.D. , Salaam, S.A. and House, D.E. (1983). Pulmonary effects of ozone exposure during exercise: dose-response characteristics. J. Appl. Physiol.: Respirat. Environ. Exercise Physiol. 54:1345-1352.

13.

Mcdonnell, W.F. , Horstman, D.H. , Abdul-Salaam, S. and House, D.E. (1985). Reproducibility of individual responses to ozone exposure. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 131:36-40.

14.

Seltzer, J. , Bigby, B.G. , Stulbarg, M. , Holtzman, M.J. , Nadel, J.A. , Ueki, I.F. , Leikauf, G.D. , Goetzl, E.J. and Boushey, H.A. (1986). 03- induced change in bronchial reactivity to methacholine and airway inflammation in humans. J. Appl. Physiol. 60:1321-1326.

15.

Townley, R.G. , Ryo, U.Y. , Kolotkin, B.M. and Kang B. (1975). Bronchial sensitivity to methacholine in current and former asthmatic and allergic rhinitis patients and control subjects. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 56:429-442.