Induced sputum analysis in asymptomatic young adults with bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine

Background and objectives: BHR is a clinical feature of asthma and factors crucial to the development of BHR remain to be elucidated. Asymptomatic BHR also occurs in the general population. This study examined the prevalence of asymptomatic BHR in a population of young Japanese atopic individuals to identify whether airway inflammation is present in asthmatic patients but not in asymptomatic subjects with BHR. Methods: Fifty atopic volunteers...