[Study on the pathological features of airway inflammation in asthma and chronic bronchitis]

To explore the difference between the pathological features of asthma and chronic bronchitis on airway inflammation, then to provide pathomorphological basis for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of these two different entities.

To compare the pathological changes of airways from 14 asthmatic and 13 chronic bronchitic patients.

There were damaging lesions shown on tracheo-bronchial epithelium of asthmatic and chronic bronchitic patients; various inflammatory cells and structural pathological changes occurred in submucosa. The numbers of eosinophilic cells and mast cells in asthmatic group were higher than those of chronic bronchitic group (P < 0.01). Thickness of basement membrane in early stage (P < 0.05) and thickness of smooth muscle were characteristic pathological changes for asthmatic group. Degranulation phenomenon of mast cells was found in asthmatic group. The pathological features of airway mucosa of chronic bronchitic group were different: eosinophilic cells < 1.2/HP and mast cells < 1/HP; no degranulation of mast cells was observed under electronmicroscopy.

Both asthma and chronic bronchitis (including chronic asthmatic bronchitis) are chronic airway inflammatory illnesses, but obvious pathomorphological difference was found in their airway mucosa. These are two different diseases and the reasons for causing airflow obstruction are also different.