Table 3.
Sputum weight and cell counts of healthy subjects and COPD patients
| Sputum cells | Healthy subjects (n=35) | COPD patients (n=51) |
|---|---|---|
| Sputum weight (g) | 3 (1–10) | 2*** (0–10) |
| Total nonsquamous cells (×106/g) | 1 (0–12) | 4*** (0–164) |
| Squamous cells (%) | 17 (0–31) | 7* (0–68) |
| Viability (%) | 77 (45–95) | 72 (46–100) |
| Macrophages (%) | 33 (2–66) | 12*** (1–45) |
| Macrophages (×103/g) | 244 (0–1,157) | 458* (0–4,523) |
| Lymphocytes (%) | 2 (0–6) | 1 (0–7) |
| Lymphocytes (×103/g) | 14 (0–417) | 37* (0–556) |
| Neutrophils (%) | 63 (19–96) | 76* (11–99) |
| Neutrophils (×103/g) | 491 (0–10,037) | 2,563*** (253–162,162) |
| Eosinophils (%) | 0 (0–11) | 2*** (0–78) |
| Eosinophils (×103/g) | 2 (0–371) | 53*** (0–8,455) |
| Epithelial cells (%) | 2 (0–14) | 2 (0–30) |
| Epithelial cells (×103/g) | 18 (0–180) | 70** (0–1,709) |
Notes: Data are presented as median (range).
*
P<0.05,
**
P<0.01,
***
P<0.001 vs healthy subjects.