Basophils in bronchial asthma with reference to reagin‐type allergy

Abstract

Summary The relationship of the basophils in the peripheral blood of patients with bronchial asthma to their allergic reactions has been studied. The basophils were stained and counted using our improved method of Kovács. The results showed that the basophils increased in the pre‐attack stage and a count of 65/mm 3 or more made it possible to predict a forthcoming attack. Among the patients on prolonged treatment, the basophils which were over this level during repeated asthmatic attacks decreased during the attack‐free stage, reflecting the effects of therapy. It was also found that the basophils were increased in those patients with allergic asthma whose sera gave positive Prausnitz‐Küstner reactions. This study suggests a significant relationship of peripheral blood basophils with the allergic reaction.