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Evaluation of complement in patients with eosinophilic pneumonia
1Research Institute for Diseases of the Chest, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan)
|June 1, 1992
Summary
Complement activation plays a role in eosinophilic pneumonia. Measuring complement activation may indicate disease activity in patients with this condition.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Eosinophilic pneumonia is a rare lung disorder characterized by eosinophil accumulation in lung tissue.
- The role of complement activation in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic pneumonia remains unclear.
Observation:
- Three patients with eosinophilic pneumonia (two active, one remission) underwent complement evaluation.
- Patients presented with cough, dyspnea, malaise, and blood eosinophilia; two had fever.
- Pulmonary infiltrates and symptoms resolved rapidly with steroid treatment.
Findings:
- Patients with active eosinophilic pneumonia exhibited elevated complement receptor 3 (CR3) and reduced Fc receptor (FcrR) on neutrophils (PMN) before and during steroid therapy.
- Neutrophils from patients with bronchial asthma showed different complement receptor expression patterns during attacks.
- Changes in complement receptor expression on neutrophils may persist longer than clinical symptom resolution.
Implications:
- Complement activation assessment could serve as a valuable biomarker for disease activity in eosinophilic pneumonia of unknown origin.
- Understanding complement receptor dynamics offers insights into eosinophilic pneumonia pathogenesis.
- This study highlights a potential diagnostic tool for managing eosinophilic lung diseases.