Airway hyperresponsiveness: a comparative study of methacholine and exercise challenges in seasonal allergic rhinitis with or without asthma.

Background: Asymptomatic airway hyperreactivity in allergic rhinitis is a risk factor for later development of asthma. Although non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) has been measured by several stimuli, the most appropriate measurement technique still remains unclear.

Objective: To investigate whether an exercise challenge can be used to predict BHR in seasonal allergic rhinitis patients with or without asthma and to compare this bronchial reactivity with a methacholine challenge technique.

Methods: Forty-six consecutive patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis only (n = 31) and with both seasonal allergic rhinitis and asthma (n = 15) were included in the study during the pollination period. Subjects underwent first methacholine (mch) and then exercise challenge testing (ECT). There was a 1-week interval between the tests. ECT was performed on a bicycle ergometer. Positive result was defined as a 15% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) post-exercise. A patient's bronchial reactivity to methacholine was considered as hyperresponsive if PC(20) was less than 8 mg/mL.

Results: Mch PC(20) values were significantly lower in patients with both rhinitis and asthma (p < 0.062). Among the 46 patients, mch PC(20) values were significantly different between patients who had positive and negative exercise challenge tests (p = 0.007). All patients with rhinitis alone had a negative ECT and 10 had a positive mch challenge. Change in FEV(1) values after ECT was significantly higher in patients with both rhinitis and asthma compared to those with rhinitis alone (p = 0.009). There was a significant relation between positivity of mch and exercise challenges (p = 0.025). ECT positivity was found to be a significant confounding factor in the diagnosis of asthma (p = 0.001). Specificity and sensitivity values were 100% and 24% for ECT and 68% and 100% for mch, respectively.

Conclusion: Exercise challenge presents poor diagnostic value for detecting bronchial responsiveness in individuals with allergic rhinitis alone during the pollen season.