Chronic glandular bronchitis in young individuals residing in a metropolitan area

Abstract

A study of 161 Los Angeles County residents aged 12-28 years old who had died sudden violent deaths showed frequent and severe chronic glandular bronchitis (CGB), that is to say grade > or =5 (0-10) chronic inflammation involving at least one, half or more, and all submucosal glands in 53.4%, 21%, and 4.4% of the main stem bronchi, respectively. The mean plasma cell/gland/bronchus was high (> or =5) for 22 subjects (13.7%), while only 2 bronchi (1.2%) had a correspondingly high lymphocyte mean (P<0.001). Of the bronchi, 75.2% were affected by glandular atrophy (> or =5 in 8.1%), 10.6% had neutrophil infiltration of glands, and 3.1% had acute sialadenitis. Of the total of 1040 glands, CGB was found in 83.8% (> or =5 in 26.5%). Of 25 non-smokers identified, 14 (56%) had some degree of CGB in > or =50% of the glands, severe in 7 (26%). Severe CGB in many young individuals raises concern that a subpopulation of living cohorts may have an increased susceptibility to disease and a rising incidence of chronic lung disease. Demographic analysis is pending, but respiratory infection, smoking, adverse socioeconomic factors, and air pollution are all potential causative factors. Since pollution in Los Angeles frequently exceeds air quality standards, an ongoing multicity study is attempting to distinguish between the suspected effects of air pollution and confounding variables.

Chronic Exposure to Ambient Levels of Urban Particles Affects Mouse Lung Development

“…Among the components of air pollution, particulate matter (PM) has been consistently associated with chronic respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function alterations in children (3,10,15,17,18). In addition, data provided by autopsy studies reveal that young adults living in areas with high ambient levels of inhalable particles have pathologic alterations of airways and distal pulmonary parenchyma (20)(21)(22). We reasoned that the role of PM in causing alterations in pulmonary development would be better evaluated in animal models, because confounding variables such as exposure assessment, co-morbidity, and individual variability can be controlled.…”

Topographical distribution of bronchial eosinophilia: significance for biopsy diagnosis

“…Our earlier subjective measurements of chronic inflammation of airways [11,38] and airspaces [10] of comparable groups found eosinophilia in 10% and chronic lung inflammation in approximately one of four. In some of those subjects, lung remodeling was observed that included peribronchiolar fibrosis, alveolar airspace derangement, and/or parenchymal scarring [10].…”

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“…Discrete focal inflammation of clinically normal salivary glands has also been noted [16]. Finally, asymptomatic airway inflammation is common and can be elicited by ubiquitous stimuli such as smoke or smog [17,18]. Herpesviruses must have evolved a way of migrating to such mucosal sites, perhaps by taking advantage of inflammatory cells that go there naturally.…”