Cellularity of the Alveolar Walls in Smokers and Its Relation to Alveolar Destruction: Functional Implications

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Inflammatory cells are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of emphysema; however, a relationship between presence of cells in the lung parenchyma and its destruction has never been shown. The aim of this study was to quantitate alveolar septal cellularity in smokers'' lungs and to investigate its relationship with parenchymal destruction and lung function. The lungs of 23 smokers (SS) undergoing thoractomy for localized pulmonary lesions were compared with those of eight nonsmokers (NS) and five smokers (AS) who died suddenly of nonrespiratory causes. Pulmonary function tests were performed within 1 wk of surgery in SS. For each subject, we quantitated alveolar wall cells (CELLS), an index of alveolar wall destruction (DI), and the mean linear intercept (Lm). As no significant differences were found between S and AS with regard to these indices, we combined them (Group S) for comparison with NS. Although Lm was not significantly different between S and NS, (0.331 .+-. 0.072 versus 0.288 .+-. 0.038), CELLS and DI were higher in S than in NS (48 .+-. 8 versus 25 .+-. 2 cells/mm, P < 0.001; 47 .+-. 20 versus 17 .+-. 5, p < 0.001, respectively). Further, CELLS and DI were significantly correlated (r = 0.799, p < 0.001). The number of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) in S can exceed that in NS by as much as 5-fold; however, PMN were inversely correlated with parenchymal destruction (DI) (r = -0.598, p < 0.01). Thus, smokers'' lungs have alveolar septal hypercellularity, possibly inflammatory, and closely related to destruction involving cells other than the PMN.