title: Prognostic value of Ia+ T lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in pulmonary sarcoidosis.
abstract: We investigated the value of the la+ T-lymphocyte (CD3+ HLA-DR+) ratio in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for predicting the outcome of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Analysis of the BALF la+ T% in 166 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis by dual-color flow cytometry revealed a wide range of values, of from 0.5 to 85.3%. Although the majority of patients had less than 40% la+ T cells in their BALF, a minor peak was observed at 50 to 60%. The BALF la+ T% value was not influenced by smoking, sex, or age, thus differing from other BALF activation markers. Fifty patients could be followed up precisely for 3 yr after their initial bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to evaluate outcome with respect to chest X-ray findings, clinical symptoms, serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity, and extrapulmonary involvement. The 50 patients were divided into two groups, with a BALF la+ T% < 40% (n = 34) and > or = 40% (n = 16), respectively. Serum ACE activity returned to normal within 1 yr in the < 40% group, but remained high for the entire follow-up period in the > or = 40% group. The significant difference was observed in the persistence of pulmonary involvement between the two groups except for four patients who showed Stage 0 disease (p < 0.02). Thirteen of 31 patients in the < 40% group showed normalization of chest X-ray findings after three years, whereas only one out of 15 patients in the > or = 40% group showed resolution of pulmonary involvement. Our results suggest that the BALF la+ T% may be a novel marker for predicting the long-term prognosis in pulmonary sarcoidosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwase
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dambara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A