Clinical significance of airway inflammation in bronchcial asthma. Comparison with chronic obstructive bronchiolitis.

Clinical significanoce of airway inflammation was assessed in 28 patients with bronchial asthma, and the results were compared with those in 9 patients with chronic obstructive bronchiolitis (COB). 1. Total cell number in bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) fluid was markedly increased in patients with COB (51.0×10(6)), which was significantly greater than that in those with bronchial asthma (9.6×10(6) ). 2. The proportion of BAL macrophages was significantly higher in patients with bronchial asthma than in those with COB. However, the, absolute number of BAL macrophages was not significantly different between them. 3. The proportion of BAL lymphocytes was higher in patients with bronchial asthma than in those with COB, but this difference was not signifcant. In contrast, the absolute number of BAL lymphocytes was significantly greater in patients with COB than in those with bronchial asthma. 4. The proportion and the number of BAL neutrophils were markedly increased in patients with COB compared to those with bronchial asthma. 5. The proportion and the number of BAL eosinophils were higher in patients with bronchial asthma than in those with COB, although these defferences were not significant. The results suggest that airway inflammation in bronchial asthma is not so intensive as that in COB.

気管支喘息28例および慢性閉塞性細気管支炎9例を対象に,気道炎症反応の臨床的意義について検討を加えた｡1.気管支肺胞洗浄(BAL)液中の総細胞数は,慢性閉塞性細気管支炎において著明に増加しており(51.0×10(6)),気管支喘息(9.6×10(6))との間に有意の差が見られた｡2.BAL液中マクロファージの頻度は気管支喘息において,慢性閉塞性細気管支炎に比べ有意に高い値を示したが,絶対数での比較では両疾患群間に有意の差は見られなかった｡ 3.BAL液中リンパ球の頻度は,気管支喘息においてやや高い傾向が見られたが,絶対数の比較では慢性閉塞性細気管支炎において有意に高い値であった｡ 4.BAL液中の好中球は,その頻度および絶対数とも慢性閉塞性細気管支炎において著明に増加しており,これは気管支喘息と比べ有意に高い値であった｡ 5.BAL液中好酸球の頻度および絶対数は,気管支喘息においてやや高い値であったが,両疾患群間に有意の差は見られなかった｡以上の結果より,気管支喘息における気道炎症反応は,慢性閉塞性細気管支炎ほど高度ではない ことが明らかにされた。