Abstract
Five subjects with a recent history of urticaria (U), five atopic (A) subjects and a non-atopic (NA) control group were given intravenous infusions of histamine starting at 0.05 μg/kg/min, increasing by 0.05 μg/kg/min every 30 minutes to a maximum of 0.35 μg/kg/min. Plasma histamine levels were monitored every 15 minutes. The infusion was stopped when an objective clinical endpoint was reached, involving either evidence of peripheral vasodilatation (rise of skin temperature by at least 1 °C) or a 20% fall of peak expiratory flow rate.
There were no significant differences in resting plasma histamine in the three groups. Those with urticaria reached the clinical endpoint at a lower infusion rate than non-atopic subjects (U 0.22±0.02 μg/kg/min; A 0.26±0.02 μg/kg/min; NA 0.32±0.2 μg/kg/min.p<0.008) they also received a lower total histamine dose (U 1.12±0.33 mg; A 1.42±0.38 mg, NA 2.2±0.51 mg,p<0.008). Atopic subjects with a history of asthma, eczema or rhinitis also tolerated histamine poorly, some subjects reaching a clinical endpoint while the plasma histamine level was still relatively low (U 1.52±0.4 ng/ml, A 0.85±0.19 ng/ml, NA 1.4±0.44 ng/ml,p=0.05). After the histamine infusion was stopped, the fall in the blood level of histamine was slower in urticarial subjects than in the other two groups, with a half-life of 6.2±1.3 min (A 3.0±1.2 min, NA 4.0±0.7 min,p<0.02). There were thus differences in the metabolism of histamine in our non-atopic urticarial subjects and increased histamine sensitivity in atopic subjects which require further study.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A. P. Kaplan,Urticaria and angioedema. InComprehensive immunology 6th ed. (Eds. S. Gupta and R. A. Good) pp. 291–320, (1979).
D. J. Heavey, A. Kobza-Black, S. E. Barrow, C. G. Chappell, M. W. Greaves and C. T. Dollery,Prostaglandin D2 and histamine release in cold urticaria. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol.78, 458–461 (1976).
J. P. R. Hartley, T. J. Charles, R. D. H. Monie, A. Seaton, W. H. Taylor, A. Westwood and J. D. Williams,Arterial plasma histamine after exercise in normal individuals and in patients with exercise-induced asthma. Clinical Science61, 151–157 (1981).
P. J. Barnes, P. W. Ind and M. J. Brown,Plasma histamine and catecholamines in stable asthmatic subjects. Clinical Science62, 661–665 (1982).
H. A. Sampson, and P. L. Jolie,Increased plasma histamine concentrations after food challenges in children with atopic dermatitis. N. Engl. J. Med.311, 372–376 (1984).
M. Kaliner, J. H. Shelhamer and E. A. Ottesen,Effects of infused histamine: correlation of plasma histamine levels and symptoms. J. Allergy. Clin. Immunol.69, 283–289 (1982).
M. Kaliner, R. Sigler, R. Summers and J. H. Shelhamer,Effects of infused histamine: analysis of the effects of H 1 and H2 histamine receptor antagonists on cardiovascular and pulmonary responses. J. Allergy. Clin. Immunol.68, 365–371 (1981).
P. W. Ind, M. J. Brown, F. J. M. Whoste, I. MacQuin and C. T. Dollery,Determination of histamine and its metabolites. Concentration effect relationships of infused histamine in healthy volunteers. Agents and Actions12, 12–16 (1982).
B. D. Sheinman, J. L. Devalia, G. Wylie and R. J. Davies,Histamine and Nt-methyl histamine in the circulation during intravenous infusion of histamine in normal volunteers. Agents and Actions25, 263–266 (1988).
L. Guilloux, D. Hartman and G. Ville,Enzymatic isotope assay for human plasma histamine. Clin. Chemica. Acta.116, 269–275 (1981).
M. K. Church, G. J. K. Pao and S. T. Holgate,Characterisation of histamine secretion from mechanically dispersed human lung mast cells: effects of anti IgE, calcium ionophore A23187 compound 48/80 and basic polypeptides. J. Immunol.129, 2116–2121 (1982).
N. Tryding and B. Willet,Determination of plasma diamine oxidase (Histaminase) in clinical practice. Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest.22, 29–39 (1968).
T. Okuyama and Y. Kobayashi,Determination of diamine oxidase activity by liquid scintillation counting. Arch. Biochem. Biophys.95, 242–250 (1961).
W. Lorenz, A. Doenicke, R. Meyer, H. J. Reimann, J. Kusche, H. Barth, H. Geesing, M. Hutzel and B. Weissenbacher,Histamine release in man by propanidid and thiopentone: pharmacological effects and clinical consequences. Brit. J. Anaesth.44, 355–368 (1972).
W. Lorenz, A. Doenicke, B. Schoning, Ch. Ohmann, B. Grote and E. Neugebauer,Definition and classification of the histamine-release resoonse to drugs in anaesthesia and surgery: studies in the conscious human subject. Klin. Wochenschr.60, 896–913 (1982).
W. Bednarski, J. Lewandowska, M. Pilarek and D. Piltz,Serum histamine activity in children with bronchial asthma. Polski tygodnic lekarski32, 1038–1039 (1977) (English Abstract).
R. J. Shaw, S. D. Anderson, S. R. Durham, K. M. Taylor, R. E. Schoeffel, W. Green, P. Tonzillo and A. B. Kay,Mediators of hypersensitivity and fog-induced asthma. Allergy40, 48–57 (1985).
F. Hahn, R. Kretzschmar, H. J. Teschendorf and R. Mitze,Role of histaminase (Diamine oxidase) in disappearance of plasma histamine in anaphylaxis and after histamine injection. Int. Arch. Allergy39, 449–458 (1970).
G. D. Luk, T. M. Bayless and S. B. Baylin,Diamine oxidase (histaminase). A circulating marker for rat mucosal maturation and integrity. J. Clin. Invest.66, 66–70 (1970).
L. D'Agostino, G. D'Argenio, C. Ciacci, B. Daniele, V. Macchia and G. Mazzacca,Diamine oxidase in rat small bowel: Distribution in different segments and cellular location. Enzyme31, 217–220 (1984).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pollock, I., Murdoch, R.D. & Lessof, M.H. Plasma histamine and clinical tolerance to infused histamine in normal, atopic and urticarial subjects. Agents and Actions 32, 359–365 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01980899
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01980899