Back
Menopausal asthma: a new biological phenotype?
MP. Foschino Barbaro, VR. Costa, O. Resta, R. Prato, A. Spanevello, GP. Palladino, D. Martinelli, GE. Carpagnano
Allergy 2010 Oct;65(10):1306-12.
PubMed: 20557302
Abstract
Female hormones play an important role in women's lung health, especially in asthma pathophysiology. Although a growing interest has recently been aroused in asthma related to short-term reproductive states, menopausal asthma has been little studied in the past. The aim of the present study was to explore airway inflammation in menopausal asthmatic women in a noninvasive manner. Forty consecutive women with menopausal asthma, 35 consecutive women with premenopausal asthma and 30 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Urinary LTE-4, induced sputum inflammatory cells, and exhaled LTE-4, IL-6, pH, and NO levels were measured in all the subjects enrolled. Women with menopausal asthma showed decreased estradiol concentrations, high sputum neutrophils, and exhaled IL-6. Women with premenopausal asthma presented instead an essentially eosinophilic inflammatory pattern. Higher urine and breath condensate LTE-4 concentrations were found in premenopausal and menopausal asthma compared to controls. Our results substantiate the existence of a new biological phenotype of menopausal asthma that is mainly characterized by neutrophilic airways inflammation and shares several characteristics of the severe asthma phenotype.
Associated compounds:
Compound Name
with link to compound page |
Structure | Number of references |
---|---|---|
Leukotriene E4 | 61 |