title: Bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsy in spondyloarthropathies.
abstract: Fourteen patients (12 men, 2 women) with spondyloarthropathies underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), transbronchial biopsy (TBB) and other respiratory investigations. BAL revealed lymphocytosis and increased nonaltered neutrophil polynuclears in a smoker and an isolated lymphocytosis in one patient with restrictive syndrome and radiographic apical fibrosis. TBB showed interstitial fibrosis in the 2 patients and in 3 others who are all nonsmokers and among whom 2 had a restrictive syndrome. Subclinical alveolitis in spondyloarthropathies is absent. Interstitial fibrosis is not rare and its frequent association in a restrictive syndrome suggests a mechanical origin.
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, CHU Charles Nicolle, Institut de Pneumo Physiologie de l'Ariana, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kchir
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mtimet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kochbati
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zouari
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayed
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gharbi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hila
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001980:Bronchi / Q000473:pathology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008218:Lymphocytosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*