Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 155, No. 3, 03 1997, 1130-1134.
Pulmonary and cardiac beta-adrenoceptor density in vivo in asthmatic subjects
F Qing, SU Rahman, CG Rhodes, MJ Hayes, S Sriskandan, PW Ind, T Jones and JM Hughes
Department of Medicine (Respiratory Division), Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, United Kingdom.
To examine whether there is a primary deficit in beta-adrenoceptor density
in asthma, pulmonary and cardiac beta-receptor density was determined in
vivo with positron emission tomography (PET) in 10 male asthmatic subjects
(36 +/- 8 yr of age) and compared with that in 30 age-matched normal male
subjects (36 +/- 8 yr of age). Pulmonary beta- receptor density was 10.3
+/- 1.8 pmol/g tissue for the asthmatic group and 10.9 +/- 1.9 for the
normal group. Cardiac beta-receptor density was 9.1 +/- 3.3 pmol/g for the
asthmatic group and 8.8 +/- 2.3 pmol/g for the normal group. There was no
difference in either pulmonary or cardiac beta-receptor density between the
two groups. In addition, an inverse relationship was observed between FEV1
% predicted and pulmonary beta-receptor density in asthmatic subjects. In
conclusion, beta-receptor numbers are normal in untreated asthmatic
subjects.
