TABLE 3.
Characteristics of bronchial biopsy samples on microscopic evaluation
|
Lobar (2 sites) |
Segmental (3 sites) |
Subsegmental (1 site) |
All |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (n=24)* | HC (n=28) | A (n=36) | HC (n=39) | A (n=12) | HC (n=14) | A+HC (n=153) | ||
| Score ≤2 | 54.2 | 71.4 | 66.7 | 61.5 | 50.0 | 57.1 | 61.7 | |
| Smooth muscle bundles | 75.0 | 75.0 | 77.8 | 79.5 | 75.0 | 71.4 | 76.5 | |
| Infiltration by inflammatory cells | 83.3 | 64.3 | 77.8 | 59.0 | 83.3 | 57.1 | – | |
| Cartilage | 4.2 | 3.6 | 11.1 | 10.3 | 33.3 | 50.0 | – | |
| Mucus glands | 25.0 | 35.7 | 36.1 | 38.5 | 58.3 | 21.4 | – | |
| Thickened basement membrane | 79.2† | 50.0 | 77.8‡ | 35.9 | 50.0 | 35.7 | – | |
| Epithelium integrity | 29.2† | 57.1 | 44.4 | 38.5 | 33.3 | 28.6 | 40.5 | |
Data are expressed as a percentage of tissue samples meeting the selected criteria.
*
Total number of bronchial tissue samples obtained for the different sampling sites in each group;
†
P≤0.05,
‡
P≤0.01 when comparing asthma (A) with healthy control (HC)