Bronchial remodeling is currently known to affect not only patients with asthma, but also COPD patients. Some studies have demonstrated that basement membrane thickening and destruction of the bronchial epithelium are also found in COPD.
The aim of the study was to compare the basement membrane thickness (BMT) and epithelial damage in biopsy specimens from patients with asthma and COPD.
METHODS: The study was performed in 20 patients with asthma and 12 patients with COPD, who had not been treated with corticosteroids for at least three months before study enrollment. Patients' characteristics were based on the results of: clinical assessment, allergic skin-prick tests, lung function testing and methacholine bronchial challenge. All patients underwent bronchoscopy with forceps biopsies of bronchial mucosa. Light-microscope and semi-automatic software were used to measure BMT in haematoxylin-eosin stained sections. Total (denudation) and partial epithelial damage were assessed independently by two pathologists.
RESULTS: The mean BMT in patients with asthma was 12.54 ± 2.8 microm, and only 7.81 ± 2.0 microm in COPD patients (p < 0.05). Overall percentage of the BM length lined with damaged epithelium was 45 ± 20% in the asthma group and 47 ± 22% in the COPD group (ns). Total and partial epithelial damage were not different between the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: BMT might be a histopathological parameter helpful in distinguishing asthma and COPD patients whereas the extent and pattern of epithelial damage not.
Authors: Kosciuch J, Krenke R, Gorska K, Baran W, Kujawa M, Hildebrand K, Chazan R
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