[Subsets of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar-lavage fluid from patients with idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia].
Lymphocyte activation may be involved in interstitial inflammatory processes in the lungs. We analyzed lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from 5 patients with idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia and from 7 control subjects. Lymphocytes were analyzed by two-flow cytometry. Differential cell counts showed that the percentage and the number of lymphocytes was higher in the patients (32.9 +/- 21.9%, 12.8 +/- 8.32 x 10(4) cells/ml) than in the controls (8.31 +/- 3.66%, 0.69 +/- 0.39 x 10(4) cells/ml, p < 0.05). In particular, the patients had many more CD8+ S6F1+ lymphocytes (which are considered to be activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes; 32.2 +/- 11.8%, 42.0 +/- 26.5 x 10(3) cells/ml) than did the controls (6.31 +/- 1.69%, 0.42 +/- 0.25 x 10(3) cells/ml, p < 0.01). These data indicate that activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes may be important in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing preumonia.
Kusumoto
H
H
First Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical College, Japan.
Kunisawa
A
A
Kuriyama
Y
Y
Yonemaru
M
M
Nakano
M
M
Ichinose
Y
Y
Ebihara
Y
Y
Toyama
K
K
D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018549:Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology