Bronchoalveolar lavage and lymphocytes in asthma

Abstract

Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. The purpose of this review is firstly to look at the current status of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) as a tool for asthma research, and secondly to focus on the role that the lymphocyte plays in the inflammatory component of asthma. BAL is now widely accepted as a productive means of investigating asthma and it can be carried out safely on stable, mild asthmatics. Its safety in the face of moderate to severe disease has yet to be established. Lymphocytes play a pivotal role in modulating the immune response both in normal conditions and in the inflammatory response which characterizes the asthmatic airway. Lymphocytes control key steps in the asthmatic response by producing immunoglobulin E (IgE) and other antibodies, regulating effector cells such as eosinophils and mast cells, and by influencing the host-response to upper respiratory tract viral infections. Asthmatic patients may have a defect in their suppressor T cell system.