| Abstract |
Hydrogen peroxide in expired breath condensate of patients with inflammatory airway diseases. Stelios Loukides MD, Pneumonology Dept Athens Army General Hospital. The aim of our study was to determine the concentration of exhaled hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in patients with inflammatory airway diseases, to investigate which cells are the main source of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production in each disease and finally to evaluate the association between H2O2 levels, airway inflammation and disease severity. Thirty patients with bronchiectasis, fifty stable asthmatics with disease severity ranging from mild to moderate and finally thirty patients with stable COPD with disease severity ranging from mild to severe were studied. Mean concentration of H2O2 was significantly elevated in patients with inflammatory airway diseases compared to the values of control subjects for each disease. Eosinophils were the predominate cells which generate H2O2 in asthma, while neutrophils were responsible for the highest levels which were observed in bronchiectasis and COPD. The role of H2O2 concentration in predicting the severity of the disease as well as the inflammatory process, is limited in asthma and depends on the use of inhaled steroids (ICS) and the classification severity. In patients with bronchiectasis increased levels of exhaled H2O2 reflected the severity of the disease as well as the inflammatory process, were not decreased either by the use of ICS or the long term oral antibiotic treatment but were significantly affected by chronic colonization with Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. In patients with COPD the role of H2O2 concentration in predicting the severity of the disease as well as the inflammatory process depends on the classification severity and was not affected by the use of inhaled steroids.
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Υπεροξείδιο του υδρογόνου στο συμπύκνωμα του εκπνεόμενου αέρα ασθενών με φλεγμονώδεις παθήσεις των αεραγωγών
