Differential and total cell counts in sputum from non-smokers, healthy smokers, and patients with COPD
| Non-smokers | Healthy smokers | COPD patients | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data are presented as median (25–75% percentiles). *p<0.05 v non-smokers, †p<0.001 v non-smokers, ‡p<0.001 v healthy smokers, §p<0.001 v COPD patients, ¶p<0.01 v healthy smokers. | |||
| n | 18 (5M) | 12 (7M) | 17 (3M) |
| Total inflammatory cells (×106/ml) | 1.2 (1–2) | 2.2 (1–3)* | 3.4 (2–5)† |
| Macrophages (%) | 54.9 (52–60)‡§ | 48.0 (47–50)§ | 28.0 (23–36) |
| Macrophages (×106/ml) | 0.7 (0.5–0.9) | 1.0 (0.7–2) | 1.0 (0.7–1.3)* |
| Neutrophils (%) | 43.6 (39–47) | 51.0 (49–52)† | 72.0 (64–78)†‡ |
| Neutrophils (×106/ml) | 0.5 (0.4–0.7) | 1.2 (0.7–2)* | 2.3 (1–4)†¶ |