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Does airway colonization cause systemic inflammation in bronchiectasis?
Begüm Ergan Arsava1, Lütfi Cöplü
1Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. erganb@hacettepe.edu.tr
Tuberkuloz Ve Toraks
|January 12, 2012
Summary
Systemic inflammation is not evident in all bronchiectasis patients. However, higher white blood cell (WBC) counts, C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen levels indicate inflammation in colonized bronchiectasis patients.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Immunology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Chronic inflammatory airway diseases like COPD and asthma often involve systemic inflammation.
- Systemic inflammation in bronchiectasis remains poorly understood, despite chronic bacterial colonization causing airway damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate systemic inflammation levels in bronchiectasis patients.
- To explore the relationship between systemic inflammation and bacterial colonization in bronchiectasis.
Main Methods:
- Assessed inflammatory markers: WBC count, ESR, CRP, fibrinogen, IL-8, TNF-α, and leptin.
- Compared 50 stable bronchiectasis patients with age- and sex-matched controls.
- Analyzed bronchiectasis patients based on sputum colonization status.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in systemic inflammatory markers between bronchiectasis patients and controls.
- Colonized bronchiectasis patients showed significantly higher median WBC count, CRP, and fibrinogen levels compared to non-colonized patients.
- Elevated inflammatory markers in colonized patients suggest a systemic inflammatory response.
Conclusions:
- Overall, bronchiectasis patients do not exhibit systemic inflammation compared to controls.
- Bacterial colonization in bronchiectasis is associated with elevated systemic inflammatory markers.
- This suggests a localized systemic inflammatory response in colonized bronchiectasis patients.
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