[Endoscopy and bronchiolo-alveolar lavage in allergic asthma (author's transl)]

The fiberoscope has widened the applications of bronchial endoscopy, facilitated intrabronchial exploration (including bronchiolo-alveolar lavage) and made it feasible to investigate asthmatic patients. In this paper, the authors compare intra-bronchial findings in 34 patients with allergic asthma explored between attacks and in a control group. In all cases, both endoscopy and bronchiolo-alveolar lavage were well tolerated. The bronchi were normal in only 7 patients; the remaining 27 patients had evidence of mucosal changes and hypersecretion. No definite cytological pattern of allergic asthma could be established from cells removed by lavage. The mean total number of cells was the same in patients as in controls. There were individual variations in the number of lymphocytes, but patients with severe asthma had significantly more lymphocytes than those with mild asthma (p less than 0.02). Eosinophilia was common (28/34) but was more pronounced in patients than in controls (p less than 0.01). Patients also had more free mast-cells likely to release histamine in the presence of allergens.