Table 5.
Sputum inflammatory cells and mediators on admission and after 48 and 96 h of treatment
| † On admission (n = 10) | At 48 h (n = 10) | At 96 h (n = 10) | Significance 0–48 h | Significance 48–96 h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sputum TCC, ×106/mL | 11.7 (4.6–48.2) | 10.5 (3.6–50.5) | 9.5 (1.3–39.0) | P = 0.09 | P = 0.4 |
| Sputum neutrophils, % | 91 (10–98) | 77 (34–97) | 68 (7–92) | P = 0.02 | P = 0.8 |
| Sputum neutrophils, ×106/mL | 14.3 (0.8–43.9) | 8.5 (0.1–45.0) | 5.0 (0.05–31.6) | P = 0.1 | P = 0.4 |
| Sputum SLPI, µg/mL | 4.4 (0.9–118.8) | 22.0 (2.8–141.1) | 61.6 (3.1–155.1) | P = 0.005 | P = 0.1 |
| Sputum IL‐8, µg/mL | 175 (38–4430) | 122 (27–520) | 70 (25–259) | P = 0.4 | P = 0.07 |
| Sputum TNF‐α, pg/mL | 1275 (0–10 700) | 25 (0–2320) | 25 (3500) | P = 0.02 | P = 0.7 |
†
Sputum results are based on the 10 patients from whom paired samples were obtained (by 96 h, 14 patients had been discharged; serial matched sputum results were available for analysis from all of the remaining 10 patients). Data are median values and ranges.
TCC, total cell count; SLPI, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor; TNF‐α, tumour necrosis factor‐α.