Oscillations of Skin Microvascular Blood Flow in Patients with Asthma

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This research is aimed at studying the features of skin blood flow oscillations in patients with severe persistent atopic BA during a period of fine control over symptoms. METHODS: The study of microcirculation was carried out by LDF at rest and in response to a transient ischemia in 20 patients. The time-amplitude adaptive wavelet analysis of the blood flow oscillations was conducted to elucidate the peculiarities of microcirculatory regulation system functioning. RESULTS: No significant changes were revealed for SBP and the oscillation amplitudes in the cardiac (0.6-2 Hz) and respiratory (0.145-0.6 Hz) intervals, both at rest and in response to transient ischemia, in patients compared to the control group. A consistent twofold decrease in the oscillation amplitudes was found in the neurogenic (0.021-0.052 Hz) interval at rest, as well as in the myogenic (0.052-0.145 Hz) and NO-dependent endothelial (0.0095-0.021 Hz) intervals both at rest and during the postocclusive reactive hyperemia in patients with lung obstruction (FEV1 < 80%) in comparison with a control group. CONCLUSIONS: The amplitudes of skin blood flow oscillations in the myogenic, neurogenic and NO-dependent endothelial intervals in patients with obstruction are different from those in patients without obstruction.