[Nonspecific bronchial reactivity]

Abstract

Nonspecific bronchial reactivity is defined as the ability of bronchial smooth muscles to contract in response to non-allergenic (nonspecific) stimuli. Recent techniques for its measurement in different experimental and clinical situations have opened up new avenues in the understanding of asthma, airway infection, cough, and effects of pollution. The most recent data suggest that airway inflammation is the central mechanism of bronchial hyperreactivity, but the cells and mediators involved remain to be discovered. Bronchial reactivity as a test for clinical purposes needs standardization, careful establishment of normal values and assessment of validity in terms of the decision-making process.