TY - JOUR T1 - T-cell dominated inflammatory reactions in the bronchi of asthmatics are not reflected in matched bronchoalveolar lavage specimens JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 182 LP - 189 DO - 10.1183/09031936.93.05020182 VL - 5 IS - 2 AU - LW Poulter AU - A Norris AU - C Power AU - A Condez AU - B Schmekel AU - C Burke Y1 - 1992/02/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/5/2/182.abstract N2 - Samples of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and endobronchial biopsies were obtained from five patients with clinically diagnosed asthma (ATS criteria). A comparison was made of the presence and distribution of immunocompetent lymphocytes and macrophages within each sample. Significantly raised numbers of T lymphocytes, CD45RO+ lymphocytes, RFD1+ macrophage-like cells and RFD7+ macrophages were seen in the bronchial biopsies. In contrast four out of five of the BAL specimens showed a normal differential cell count, the one exception being a patient exhibiting a degree of lymphocytosis. Further, immunocytological investigation demonstrated a normal distribution of T-cell subsets and macrophage subsets in asthmatic BAL with the exception that in four out of five of these patients a raised number of macrophage-like cells exhibiting phenotypic markers of monocytes was observed. Correlation between BAL and biopsy data was seen in the number of CD45RO+ T-cells present. No other parameters exhibited a significant correlation. Raised expression of HLA-DR was recorded in all asthmatic biopsies, yet lavage cells from the same patients failed to exhibit any increase of HLA-DR density over normal. It is concluded that the immune-associated inflammation present in endobronchial biopsies of clinically stable asthmatics is not reflected in bronchoalveolar lavage samples taken from the same patients. ER -