Y. Tanizaki et al., EFFECT OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS ON HUMORAL AND CELLULAR-IMMUNITY AND ON AIRWAY INFLAMMATION IN PATIENTS WITH STEROID-DEPENDENT INTRACTABLE ASTHMA, The Journal of asthma, 30(6), 1993, pp. 485-492
The effects of glucocorticoids on the proportion of lymphocytes in bro
nchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in relation to humoral and cellular im
munity were studied in 56 patients with steroid-dependent intractable
asthma. To analyze the mechanism responsible for reduced numbers of BA
L lymphocytes, we divided the subjects into 4 groups according to thei
r BAL lymphocyte proportions: 0-4.9%, 5.0-9.9%, 10.0-14.9%, and 15.0-2
0.0%. Serum IgG levels and the peripheral lymphocyte count were signif
icantly reduced in patients with a low proportion of BAL lymphocytes (
less than 9.9%) than in those with more than 10% BAL lymphocytes. Dela
yed cutaneous reactivity to purified protein derivative was suppressed
in patients with a low proportion of BAL lymphocytes (less than 4.9%)
. The mean proportion of BAL neutrophils tended to increase as the pro
portion of BAL lymphocytes decreased. These results show that the redu
ction in BAL lymphocytes produced by glucocorticoids is associated wit
h suppressed humoral and cellular immunity, and that under such condit
ions the proportion of BAL neutrophils increases.