Morphologic aspects of airways of patients with pulmonary emphysema followed by bronchial asthma-like attack

Morphometric analysis of airways was performed in autopsied lungs from four patients with pulmonary emphysema (PE) followed by bronchial-asthma (BA)-like attacks (Group PE+BA) (four males, 72 +/- 9 yr). The results were compared with those from five pulmonary emphysema patients (Group PE) (five males, age 71 +/- 4 hr), three patients with bronchial asthma (Group BA) (one female and two males, age 65 +/- 7 yr), and four control subjects with no pulmonary diseases (Group Cont) (one female, three males, age 64 +/- 4 yr). The proportion of gland area to bronchial wall (gland%), ratio of goblet-cell occupancy to the total epithelial layer (goblet%), thickness of the basement membrane, amount of intraluminal mucus (mucus occupying ratio; MOR%), and number of various cell types per square millimeter in airway walls in a section 4 microns thick were measured in central (3 to 8 mm diameter) and peripheral airways (2 mm or less diameter). Gland% for the PE+BA group was significantly greater than that for the Cont group, whereas it did not differ significantly from that of the PE or BA groups. Goblet% and thickness of the basement membrane in central and/or peripheral airways in Group PE+BA were significantly greater than those in Group Cont, whereas those in Group PE were similar to those in Group Cont. Although not statistically significant, MOR% in central and peripheral airways from Group PE+BA showed a similar value to that in Group BA, whereas MOR% in Group PE was the same as that in Group Cont. The eosinophil number in peripheral airways walls in Group PE+BA showed a similar value to that in Group BA, which was significantly greater than in Group Cont. Other cells (macrophages, lymphocytes, and neutrophils) showed similar values among Groups PE+BA, PE, and BA. The number of eosinophils in central and/or peripheral airways correlated significantly with both goblet% and BMT, whereas other cells did not. These findings indicate that the airways of Group PE+BA are morphologically similar to those of Group BA, suggesting a combination of pulmonary emphysema with bronchial asthma.