title: Surfactant apoprotein-A concentration in sputum for diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
abstract: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), a disease characterised by accumulation of surfactant in alveoli, is diagnosed on the basis of invasive biopsy procedures. We have measured apoprotein A (SP-A) concentrations in sputum to see if this is useful for the diagnosis of PAP. Sputum samples from three patients with PAP and twenty patients with other pulmonary disease were assayed using monoclonal antibodies to SP-A. SP-A concentrations were 400 times higher in patients with PAP than in the controls, suggestions that this measurement is useful for the diagnosis of PAP especially where lung biopsy is contraindicated.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takishima
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D000075202:Contraindications; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000032:analysis*; D011649:Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000032:analysis*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic