Proinflammatory doses of diesel exhaust in healthy subjects fail to elicit equivalent or augmented airway inflammation in subjects with asthma

This double-blind, crossover study examined whether acute airway neutrophilic inflammation following exposure to diesel exhaust was augmented in 32 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma versus 23 healthy control subjects. The primary endpoint was bronchial wash neutrophilia; other endpoints included lung function, FeNo, and bronchial hyper-responsiveness to methacholine. Lung function testing (FEV1 and FVC) was undertaken using a Vitalograph spirometer.