RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Eosinophilic inflammation in sputum of poorly controlled asthmatics
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 1370
OP 1377
DO 10.1183/09031936.02.00029202
VO 20
IS 6
A1 M. Romagnoli
A1 I. Vachier
A1 P. Tarodo de la Fuente
A1 H. Meziane
A1 C. Chavis
A1 J. Bousquet
A1 P. Godard
A1 P. Chanez
YR 2002
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/20/6/1370.abstract
AB Despite full effective treatment, asthmatic patients often present with poorly controlled asthma. Airway eosinophilia is associated with asthma, but its relationship with asthma control is still undetermined. To investigate the relationship between airway eosinophilia and asthma control, cellular and biochemical markers of airway inflammation were measured in 19 subjects with poorly controlled asthma, 16 subjects with asthma under control and eight normal volunteers. The severity of asthma was mild-to-moderate persistent in 23 patients (14 poorly controlled) and severe prednisone-dependent in 12 subjects (five poorly controlled). Induced sputum was analysed for total and differential cell counts, leukotriene E4 (LTE4), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and interleukin (IL)-8. Sputum eosinophils, LTE4, ECP and RANTES levels (but not IL-8) were significantly higher in patients with poorly controlled asthma as compared to patients with controlled asthma. By contrast, sputum cells and sputum inflammatory markers were not different among groups of patients with different severity of asthma. These results suggest that sputum eosinophilia is associated with poorly controlled asthma rather than with the severity of asthma. This study was supported in part by Direction de la Recherche Clinique (AOI 1995 no. 7515).