Increased peak expiratory flow variation in XXXX : severe persistent increase but not nocturnal worsening of airway @entity32 .

@entity748 @entity32 @entity1 @entity404 @entity565 @entity2902 @entity405 @entity1224
@entity565 at night is characterized by a nocturnal increase in @entity1224 . It has been hypothesized that nocturnal @entity565 results from an increase in airway wall @entity32 at night. However, studies on inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and bronchial biopsies have produced conflicting data. This study assessed inflammatory cell numbers at 16:00 h and 04:00 h in bronchial biopsies of 13 healthy controls, 15 @entity748 @entity1 with peak expiratory flow (PEF) variation < or =15% and 10 @entity748 @entity1 with PEF variation >15%. There was no significant increase at night in the number of CD3, @entity404 , @entity405 , @entity2902 , AAI (tryptase) and EG2-immunopositive cells in the submucosa in both groups. Numbers of EG2-positive cells in the two @entity748 groups were significantly higher than in healthy controls, both at 16:00 h (p<0.05) and 04:00 h (p<0.01). The number of EG2, @entity404 and @entity2902 -positive cells at 04:00 and 16:00 h tended to be higher in asthmatics with a PEF variation >15% than in asthmatics with PEF variation < or =15%. At 04:00 h the median numbers of EG2-positive cells (per mm basement membrane) in subjects with PEF variation >15% and < or =15% were 6 and 3 cells, respectively, and at 16:00 h 4 and 25 cells respectively. Increased nocturnal @entity1224 is not associated with increased numbers of inflammatory cells in the bronchial submucosa at night. Apparently, @entity748 @entity1 with a peak expiratory flow variation >15% suffer from a higher overall severity of @entity32 at night and during the day.
