Objective: Recent data suggested a relationship between carotid artery intima/media thickness and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Our objective was to assess the potential relationship between AHR and coronary atherosclerosis plaque volume as assessed by 3-dimensional intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
Methods: Thirty-six subjects had a spirometry and methacholine challenge, skin prick tests, blood sampling and induced sputum analysis.
Results: We found five (13.9%) patients who presented AHR to methacholine. There was no significant difference between patients with and without AHR, in plaque volume (221 +/- 45 mm3 vs. 189 +/- 13 mm3, P = 0.4), lumen volume (187 +/- 11 mm3 vs. 221 +/- 11 mm3, P = 0.2), or in total vessel volume (377 +/- 20 mm3 vs. 415 +/- 20 mm3, P = 0.5), respectively. No relationship was found between AHR, cell counts and coronary atherosclerotic plaque, lumen or total vessel volumes. There were significantly more eosinophils (1.69 +/- 1.75% vs. 0.21 +/- 0.31%, P = 0.0007) and lymphocyte counts (3.75 +/- 1.59% vs. 2.25 +/- 1.12%, P = 0.03) in patients with AHR compared to patients without.
Conclusion: In patients with stable coronary artery disease, the incidence of AHR was low and there was no relationship between AHR or airway inflammation and coronary atherosclerosis.