Autonomic dysfunction in patients with bronchial asthma

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim: Any abnormality in autonomic regulation of the airways, may lead to bronchospasm, airway edema and excessive mucous secretion, which are the event that take place in pathogenesis of airway obstruction in bronchial asthma. The present study was aimed to explore and validate status of sympathetic and parasympathetic division of autonomic nervous system in asthmatic patients by using battery of simplest and non-invasive tests. Methods: The study involved 100 subjects (age group 30-60 years) out of which 50 were asthmatics and 50 were healthy volunteers. In all the study subjects six different non-invasive,simple,standardized autonomic function tests were done. Result: The values in the tests assessing parasympathetic division were significantly lower in asthmatic patients as compared to control subjects (P<0.001). All the tests assessing sympathetic division also showed significant difference between asthmatic and control subjects. The rise in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at 2 minute after sustained hand grip test and with cold pressor test after 1 minute in asthmatic was significantly lower as compared to rise in DBP in controls. (P<0.001) whereas the fall in systolic blood pressure (SBP) on standing from supine position (after 1 minute) was significantly higher in asthmatic subjects as compared to controls (P<0.001). Conclusion: The results suggest that there is good evidence about autonomic dysfunction in asthmatic patients. Though, both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system was found to be affected, more affection was of parasympathetic division.