title: Bronchoalveolar lavage in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed on 70 RA patients, 28 without extra-articular manifestations, nine with pulmonary involvement, 13 with sicca-syndrome, 20 with other extra-articular manifestations such as renal involvement, cutaneous vasculitis and rheumatoid nodules. Fifteen patients without rheumatic or pulmonary disease served as the control group. Compared with the control group RA patients showed a statistically significant increase of lymphocytes, especially of activated (DR+)T(CD3+)-helper (CD4+) cells, resulting in a significantly diminished percentage of alveolar macrophages, B(CD21+)-lymphocytes, T-suppressor (CD8+) cells and an increased CD4/CD8 ratio. This cell distribution pattern was more pronounced in RA patients with lung involvement with significant differences to the other RA patients with regard to lymphocytes, DR positive cells and CD4 positive/DR positive cells. It is concluded that these results indicate an altered balance of immunocompetent cells not only in the joints but also in the lung. The changes are more distinct if local manifestations can be diagnosed clinically.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Rheumatologie, Kurstadt Baden, Austria.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kolarz
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Scherak
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ritschka
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thumb
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wottawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zwick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens