Air trapping is a major determinant of persistent airway obstruction in asthmatics.

Sung-Woo Park, Jai-Soung Park, Sun Hye Jeong, Yun Nah Lee, Young Hwangbo, Jong Sook Park, June Hyuk Lee, An-Soo Jang, Do-Jin Kim, Soo Taek Uh, Yong Hoon Kim, Choon-Sik Park

Genome Research Center for Allergy and Respiratory Disease, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 1174, Jung-Dong, Wonmi-Gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-Do 420-020, South Korea.

Respiratory medicine 2012 Jun

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Chronic persistent airway obstruction has been observed in moderate-to-severe asthmatics despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. We investigated which airway changes were associated with this obstruction. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was performed at study entry and reexamined at the time of follow-up when the FEV1 reached a maximally constant level after treatment for 1 year or more with inhaled corticosteroids. Bronchial wall area and air trapping extent were compared in the recovered group (n = 18) and the persistent airway obstruction group (n = 14). Bronchial wall area and air trapping of the initial HRCT were similar between the two groups. On follow-up HRCT, air trapping was markedly decreased in the recovered group compared with that on initial HRCT (P = 0.017), whereas bronchial wall area did not change. In the persistent-airway-obstruction group, these two parameters did not change during follow-up. When follow-up HRCT was compared, air trapping was significantly greater in the persistent-airway-obstruction group than in the recovered group (P = 0.003). Difference post-bronchodilator FEV1 value between at initial and 2nd HRCT exam was correlated with difference air trapping value between at initial and 2nd HRCT exam(%) on the follow-up HRCT (P = 0.017). The presence of persistent airflow obstruction were significantly associated with the air trapping % difference between initial and 2nd time (RR = 1.70, P = 0.018). Persistence of AT could be a main contributing factor to chronic persistent airflow obstruction in asthma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Sung-Woo Park, Jai-Soung Park, Sun Hye Jeong, Yun Nah Lee, Young Hwangbo, Jong Sook Park, June Hyuk Lee, An-Soo Jang, Do-Jin Kim, Soo Taek Uh, Yong Hoon Kim, Choon-Sik Park. Air trapping is a major determinant of persistent airway obstruction in asthmatics. Respiratory medicine. 2012 Jun;106(6):786-93