Characteristic of bronchial washouts in patients with different forms of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive bronchitis

Abstract

The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases today is based on data of complex examination of patients including fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage.
The bronchoalveolar washouts from 24 asthmatic patients (BA) and 10 chronic obstructive bronchitic patients (COB) were investigated. Following parameters were studied: bronchoalveolar washouts cytology, SlgA level, secretory lysozyme activity.
The obtained results showed that increased number of alveolar m acrophages, eosinophyles, lymphocytes, plasmocytes and mucosal cells were distinctive features of atopic BA. SlgA level and lysozyme activity were twice lower than in COB.
High percentage of neutrophyles, bronchial epithelial cells with dystrophya features, metaplastic squamous epithelial cells and microflora were typical for infection dependent BA. Cell set in infection-dependent BA had the ^ considerable similarity with one in COB. Parameters of secretory lysozyme activity and SlgA level were significantly lower than in COB.
Cytological structure of bronchoalveolar washouts in mixed BA had both atopic (macrophages and lymphocytes predominance, low neutrophyles number, presence of eosinophyles) and infection-dependent asthmatic features (major count of ciliated epithelial cells with dystrophic changes, presence of metaplastic squamous epithelial cells)
Thus, bronchoalveolar washouts investigation allows to appreciate the inflammatory character in BA and COB and, probably, to identify the BA form .