BRONCHUS-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID-TISSUE (BALT) AND LARYNX-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID-TISSUE (LALT) ARE FOUND AT DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES IN CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS

The lung in 98 and the larynx in 51 consecutive autopsies (age: 17th g estational week to 99 years) were studied for the presence of organize d lymphoid tissue in the epiglottis and in the wall of larger bronchi. Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) was seen in about 40% of p atients younger than 20 years of age but in older patients only in exc eptional cases. In the wall of the epiglottis, however, larynx-associa ted lymphoid tissue (LALT) was found at a frequency of approximate to 80% in patients younger than 20 years and in 56% of the patients older than 20 years. The clinical relevance of LALT as a physiological entr y site for antigens or for vaccination protocols using aerosols needs to be studied in further experiments.