EOSINOPHIL CATIONIC PROTEIN AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN LEVELS IN BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE FLUID OBTAINED FROM PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA

In chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), histopathological evidence ex ists for the degranulation of eosinophils and the release of various t oxic proteins. In vitro studies have demonstrated the degranulation of eosinophils in response to aggregated and complexed immunoglobulins. The aims of this study were to investigate: 1) whether the eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and immunoglobulin (Ig) levels in bronchoalveol ar lavage (BAL) fluid from patients with CEP are increased compared to those of healthy controls; 2) and whether a relationship is present b etween immunoglobulin levels and ECP levels in BAL fluid from patients with CEP. The BAL from 12 patients with CEP was selected, retrospecti vely, from an BAL analyses performed in our centre between 1986 and 19 92. ECP levels were measured using a radioimmunoassay in BAL fluid of patients with CEP and 10 healthy controls. ECP levels and immunoglobul in levels in BAL fluid from patients with CEP were found to be elevate d compared to controls (p<0.001). A relationship was found between IgA levels and ECP levels in BAL fluid from patients with CEP (r=0.72; p= 0.043). In conclusion, eosinophil cationic protein and immunoglobulin levels were found to be increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia The relationship found b etween immunoglobulin A levels and eosinophil cationic protein levels may suggest that immunoglobulin A could be involved in the degranulati on of eosinophils in chronic eosinophilic pneumonia.