Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 150, No. 3, Sep 1994, 802-809.
Airway-like inflammation of minor salivary gland in bronchial asthma
B Wallaert, A Janin, P Lassalle, MC Copin, L Devisme, P Gosset, B Gosselin and AB Tonnel
Service de Pneumologie et Immunoallergologie, Hopital A. Calmette, C.H.R.U. de Lille, France.
T-lymphocytes are important components of the inflammatory cell infiltrate
in bronchial mucosa in asthma. Because activated lymphocytes migrate
through the thoracic duct and the general circulation to remote glandular
and mucosal sites, we initiated this study to evaluate the histologic
abnormalities of a minor salivary gland (MSG) associated with bronchial
asthma. Fifty-eight asthmatic patients were prospectively studied (37
women, 21 men; mean age, 54 +/- 6 yr). Twenty- nine patients had allergic
asthma (AA) and 29 had nonallergic asthma (NAA). Results were compared with
those obtained from 15 healthy control subjects and 15 nonasthmatic
patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MSG was normal
in 14 of 15 patients with COPD and in 14 of 15 control subjects.
Forty-three of 58 (74%) asthmatic patients presented MSG abnormalities.
These were significantly more frequent in asthmatics (74%) than in patients
with COPD and healthy control subjects (6%, p < 0.001 versus asthmatics)
and in NAA (97%) than in AA (52%, p < 0.01). The main pathologic
features of MSG in asthma were T-lymphocyte infiltration (57%: AA nine of
29; NAA 24 of 29), partly degranulated mast cells (64%: AA, 11 of 29; NAA,
26 of 29), basement membrane thickening (64%: AA, 11 of 29; NAA, 26 of 29),
and endothelial cell changes (26%: AA, one of 29; NAA, 14 of 29).
Eosinophils were found only in two cases. Expression of ICAM-1 was
demonstrated in nine of 16 patients with NAA, whereas VCAM-1 and E-
selectin were negative in all of them.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
