RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Associations between quantitative CT measures and airway inflammation in COPD
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P237
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Bethan Barker
A1 Ruth Hartley
A1 Karen Edwards
A1 Maria Shelley
A1 Sarah Parker
A1 Mitesh Pancholi
A1 Nisha Rana
A1 Mini Pakkal
A1 Sumit Gupta
A1 Mona Bafadhel
A1 Christopher Brightling
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P237.abstract
AB Background: In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the associations between airway inflammation, bacterial load and CT determined proximal airway remodelling, small airway obliteration and emphysema are poorly understood.Methods: Within the COPD-MAP study, at stable visits COPD patients underwent pulmonary function tests, inspiratory/expiratory CT scans and sputum sampling. Sputum was analysed for bacterial load (colony forming units/ml [CFU]) and differential cell count (total cell count [TCC], neutrophil % and eosinophil %). The degree of proximal airway remodelling, small airway disease and emphysema were determined by percentage wall area (%WA) of the apical segment of the right upper lobe, mean lung density expiratory/inspiratory ratio (MLD E/I) and 15th percentile point (Perc15) of the lung density in Hounsfield units respectively.Results: 56 patients were recruited; 42(75%) were male with mean(SEM) age 69(1) years, FEV1% predicted 53(2)% and FEV1/FVC ratio 51(2)%. There were significant correlations between sputum neutrophil % and whole lung MLD E/I (rs=0.32, p=0.02) and lower lobe MLD E/I (rs=0.45, p=0.001), but not with upper lobe MLD E/I (rs=0.14, p=0.32). There were no significant correlations between sputum neutrophil% and %WA or perc15, and no significant correlations between sputum TCC, eosinophil% or CFU with CT parameters.Conclusion: A positive correlation between small airways disease and neutrophilic inflammation was identified. Whether neutrophilic inflammation is causally associated with small airway disease in COPD warrants further investigation.