Mutagenic damage among bronchiectasis patients attending in the pulmonology sector of a hospital in southern Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by inflammation, irreversible dilation of the bronchi, and recurrent pulmonary infections, with a high morbidity and mortality rate, but is less studied from the point of view of its prevalence and associated factors not directly related to respiratory prognosis. As it is a disease related to the exacerbation of the inflammatory process and oxidative stress, this study searched to investigate the micronucleus frequency in patients with and without bronchiectasis treated at a specialized pulmonology service in a hospital in the extreme south of Brazil. METHODS: Patients with a confirmed tomographic diagnosis of bronchiectasis were defined as cases. Mutagenicity was evaluated by the micronucleus test in patients' oral mucosa cells. Data collection was performed through a questionnaire containing socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, and health condition information. RESULTS: Of the 95 patients involved in this study, 21 (22.1%) were diagnosed with bronchiectasis aged between 12 and 89 years. There was no significant difference in the frequency of micronucleus between patients with and without bronchiectasis. There was a significant positive association between age and frequency of micronucleus among patients with bronchiectasis, but this association does not occur among patients without the disease. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate data on the prevalence and clinical and epidemiological aspects of this chronic disease in Brazil, especially those related to the genotoxicity outcome.

Response to letter to the editor: Comment on “Mutagenic damage among bronchiectasis patients attending in the pulmonology sector of a hospital in southern Brazil”

“…Furthermore, the study itself does not rule out the possibility of using simple staining techniques such as May-Grünwald. The technique employed by Votto Olmedo et al 4 is an appropriate mixture for the differential visualization of both the cytoplasm and the cell nucleus and is recommended in the study by Korsakov et al 5 for use in assessing mutagenicity in oral cells. For a complementary reading in relation to possible cellular artifacts, we recommend da Silva Júnior et al 2 who already discuss these same aspects brought up here.…”