Usefulness of bronchoalveolar lavage in asthmatics. The right clinical practice.
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) has been studied in asthmatic patients; it is a well-tolerated procedure and can be used in clinical practice to evaluate individual patients. However, the main question is: Does BAL contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of bronchial asthma? The arguments in favour are as follows: (1) experiments in monkeys, indicating that the cells recovered by BAL contribute to the triggering of asthma; (2) demonstration of inflammatory cell (eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes) influx after allergen inhalation challenge, and (3) in vitro demonstration of cellular activation corresponding with clinical symptoms. BAL offers a new approach to the understanding of asthma. There is a lot of unresolved questions which should encourage us to exploit its potential to the full.
Michel
F B
FB
Clinique des Maladies Respiratoires, Hôpital Aiguelongue, Montpellier, France.
Godard
P
P
Bousquet
J
J
D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D012260:Ribonucleases; D013189:SRS-A / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
D001798:Blood Proteins; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D013189:SRS-A; D007975:Leukotriene B4; D012260:Ribonucleases