Cytopathological Aspects in the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a clinical syndrome characterised by a slow progressive decline in expiratory airflow [1], a process that has gradually developed over the years. Studies of patients with COPD show an inflammatory process in the small airways [2]. The aim of this paper is to identify the cytopathological aspects of the liquids present in the bronchoalveolar lavage in patients with COPD. We were performed a descriptive analytical case-control and prospective study on forty patients with COPD and ten asymptomatic smokers (healthy smokers or patients at risk). The percentage of marcophage, the type of the dominant inflamatory cell, in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) liquid was significantly higher at patients with mild and moderate COPD as compared to patients with severe and very severe COPD. In the present work, the percentage of the neutrophil in the BAL liquid was significantly higher at patients with severe and very severe COPD, as compared to the patients with mild and moderate COPD and to aparently healthy smokers. In conclusion, we can say that COPD is characterized by an inflammatory process located in the small airways with predominant participation of macrophages, the procentage of macrophages in BAL fluid variyng inversely proportional to the severity of the disease.