title: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis in individuals with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: A number of disorders for which an association with hepatitis C virus infection exist. These disorders include essential mixed cryoglobulinemia, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This study was initiated to investigate the cellular content and lymphocyte subpopulations of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from individuals with chronic hepatitis C and to compare the results to those of controls. Eighteen patients with chronic hepatitis C (male/female, 6/12) and 14 healthy volunteers (male/female, 6/8), were studied. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was obtained from each; and the lymphocyte subtypes and the presence of HCV-RNA in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were determined. All anti-HCV positive subjects were HCV-RNA positive in serum. One (5.6%) had a HCV-RNA positive bronchoalveolar lavage. The total cell and neutrophil counts of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were significantly greater in patients with chronic hepatitis C as compared to controls (5,799.6 +/- 957.4 x 10(3)/ml vs. 1,835.7 +/- 447.8 x 10(3)/ml, P = 0.001; 1,175.8 +/- 634.7 x 10(3)/ml vs. 53.1 +/- 28.1 x 10(3)/ml, P = 0.029). In contrast, the lymphocyte, macrophage and eosinophil counts did not differ. No difference in the percentage, median or range of individual T cell subsets or B cell numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid existed between the groups. It is concluded that hepatitis C virus infection may be associated with an occult pulmonary inflammatory reaction manifested by an increased number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. This finding may contribute to the process that leads to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis seen in a minority of cases of chronic hepatitis C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University of Ankara, Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. idilman@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Idilman
authors.forename: Hülya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Savaş
authors.forename: Nuray
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: Serpil Dizbay
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Sak
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baştemir
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarioğlu
authors.forename: Irfan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Soykan
authors.forename: Mithat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozdayi
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colantoni
authors.forename: Olcay
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aydintuğ
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bahar
authors.forename: Ozden
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Uzunalimoğlu
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Van Thiel
authors.forename: Numan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Numanoğlu
authors.forename: Abdulkadir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dökmeci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral