[Clinical feature and airway inflammation in eosinophilic bronchitis].
OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical features and airway inflammation in eosinophilic bronchitis (EB) and the treatment outcomes.


METHODS
Irwin's anatomic protocol for diagnosing chronic cough was used in 86 patients with chronic cough, and induced sputum by hypertonic saline aerosol inhalation was performed. Differential cell counts were performed in induced sputum, and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) was measured with fluoroimmunoassay, while interleukin-8 (IL-8) was measured with enzyme-linked absorbed immunoassay. EB was diagnosed according to Gibson's criteria and treated with inhaled budesonide 200 - 400 micro g twice daily for four weeks, and in some patients oral prednisone 10 - 15 mg/d or methyl-prednisone 8 - 12 mg/d was given for one week.


RESULTS
13 (15%) out of 86 patients with chronic cough were diagnosed as having EB. Dry cough was the major compliant and all had normal lung function with negative histamine provocation test. The Eos count was 0.1862 +/- 0.1632 and the concentration of ECP (2.53 +/- 2.07) mg/L in induced sputum were significant higher in patients with EB as compared with those normal subjects (P < 0.01). The cough disappeared in all patients at the end of one week of inhaled or orally administered corticosteroids.


CONCLUSIONS
EB, an eosinophilic airway inflammation, is one of important causes of chronic cough and responds well to corticosteroid therapy.
Ma
Hong-ming
HM
Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou 510120, China.
Zhu
Li-xing
LX
Lai
Ke-fang
KF
Zhu
Tong
T
Sun
Bao-qing
BQ
Zhong
Nan-shan
NS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000150:complications*; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000032:analysis
D001798:Blood Proteins; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D016209:Interleukin-8; D012260:Ribonucleases