[Usefulness of induced sputum in the diagnostics of selected chronic inflammatory airway diseases].
BACKGROUND
Usefulness of the cytological analysis in diagnostics some of chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system was assessed on the basis of the normal values for the composition of sputum inflammatory cells among healthy inhabitants of Silesia.


METHODS
Examined: 96 healthy subjects (control group), 42 patients with bronchial asthma, 49 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 30 patients with chronic bronchitis (CB). Spirometry, before and 15 minutes after 200 micrograms of salbutamol, and sputum examination were performed in all participants. Airway responsiveness on metacholine was performed in people with no contraindication.


RESULTS
In comparison to the control group, the percentage of eosinophils was significantly higher in all patients (p<0.00001). Median values were following: asthma patients--10.3%, COPD patients--1.5%, CB patients--1.6% and control subjects--0.3%. Important statistic differences (p<0.05%) have been observed in the average percentage of the neutrophils in induced sputum between healthy subjects and patients with asthma, COPD and CB. Respective median values were: 45.75%, 38.1%, 77.5% and 58.1%. The percentage of patients whose sputum eosinophils results were above the normal values (>2.8%) was as follows: 85% of the number of patients with bronchial asthma, 38% of patients with COPD, 20% of patients with CB and 6% of healthy subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that cytological examination of induced sputum is a good adjunctive test in diagnostics of the chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. The percentage of eosinophils in induced sputum above 2.8% most probably confirms bronchial asthma diagnosis.
Sozańska
Ewa
E
Katedra i Klinika Peneumonologii Slaskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Katowicach, Katowice. esozanska@opczta.fm
Barczyk
Adam
A
Biedroń-Machura
Marta
M
Pierzchała
Władysław
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000737:chemistry*; D011044:Poland; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry*
D015415:Biomarkers