Bronchial hyperresponsiveness

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (or other combinations with airway or hyperreactivity) is a state characterised by easily triggered bronchospasm (contraction of the bronchioles or small airways).

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness can be assessed with a bronchial challenge test. This most often uses products like metacholine or histamine. These chemicals trigger bronchospasm in normal individuals as well, but people with bronchial hyperresponsiveness have a lower threshold.

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness is a hallmark of asthma but also occurs frequently in people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).cite journal |author=Postma DS, Kerstjens HA |title=Characteristics of airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |journal=Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. |volume=158 |issue=5 Pt 3 |pages=S187–92 |year=1998 |month=November |pmid=9817744 |doi= |url=http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=9817744] In the Lung Heart Study, bronchial hyperresponsiveness was present in approximately two-thirds of patients with non-severe COPD, and this predicted lung function decline independently of other factors.cite journal |author=Tashkin DP, Altose MD, Connett JE, Kanner RE, Lee WW, Wise RA |title=Methacholine reactivity predicts changes in lung function over time in smokers with early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Lung Health Study Research Group |journal=Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. |volume=153 |issue=6 Pt 1 |pages=1802–11 |year=1996 |month=June |pmid=8665038 |doi= |url=] In asthma it tends to be reversible with bronchodilator therapy, while this is not the case in COPD.

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