BAL fluid findings
| Young | Older | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-smokers | Current smokers | Non-smokers | Former smokers | Current smokers | |||
| No emphysema | Emphysema | No emphysema | Emphysema | ||||
| Data are expressed as mean (SE). | |||||||
| *Significantly different from young non-smokers (p<0.05). | |||||||
| †Significantly different from older non-smokers (p<0.05). | |||||||
| ‡Significantly different from older former smokers without emphysema (p<0.05). | |||||||
| §Significantly different from older smokers without emphysema (p<0.05). | |||||||
| Recovery rate (%) | 74 (4) | 64 (3)* | 71 (4) | 54 (5) | 33 (5)† ‡ | 50 (4)† | 33 (5)†§ |
| Albumin (mg/l) | 47 (7) | 33 (3)* | 55 (9) | 57 (11) | 59 (11) | 32 (2) | 50 (10) |
| Total protein (mg/l) | 116 (14) | 92 (7)* | 160 (22) | 128 (28) | 210 (44) | 111 (10) | 142 (13) |
| Transferrin (mg/l) | 3.8 (0.4) | 2.9 (0.2)* | 7.4 (2.0) | 4.3 (1.2) | 4.5 (1.1) | 3.9 (0.4) | 3.6 (0.3) |
| Total cells (×10−4/ml) | 8.1 (0.9) | 20.1 (2.2)* | 13.4 (1.3) | 9.6 (2.4) | 10.5 (3.4) | 27.3 (4.3)† | 36 (8.2)† |
| Macrophages (×10−4/ml) | 6.9 (0.9) | 19.5 (2.1)* | 10.8 (1.3) | 8.0 (1.9) | 8.4 (2.4) | 25.9 (4.1)† | 32.9 (8.0)† |
| Neutrophils (×10−4/ml) | 0.20 (0.05) | 0.24 (0.08) | 0.04 (0.01) | 0.05 (0.01) | 0.06 (0.02) | 0.62 (0.45) | 0.59 (0.25) |