Upper respiratory tract infections and airway reactivity in normal and asthmatic subjects.

To assess the effect of an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) on airway reactivity, histamine inhalation tests (HITs) were performed prospectively in 44 nonsmoking asthmatic (14) and nonasthmatic (30) volunteers. Fifteen of the subjects developed an URTI during the following 4 months. Pulmonary function-forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), maximal midexpiratory flow rates (MMEFR) and maximal flow at 50% vital capacity (V50), and HITs, were studied at onset and 2, 3, and 4 wk after infection. There were no significant changes in pulmonary function during the total study period. For the 15 subjects, the mean provocative concentration of histamine causing a 20% fall in FEV1, (PC20H) was 8.73 mg/ml prior to onset of URTI, and at 1, 2, 3, and 4 wk after URTI was 7.97, 8.68, 8.13, and 8.61 mg/ml. These were not significantly different for the group as a whole, nor for the subgroups of asthmatics and nonasthmatics. Small changes in PC20H outside the normal range of variability occurred in 5 of 15 subjects. These were short-lived and no predictive factor for change in PC20H was identified in this group. Thus, URTI was not associated with significant changes in PC20H in this group of asthmatic and nonasthmatic subjects.