Investigation of the Relationship between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and the Values of TNFαand IL-8 in the Sputum

Objective: To observe the changes of TNFα. IL-8 and inflammatory cells in the sputum in smoking and none smoking patients with stable and acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) respectively. and to investigation the relationship between the changes and the inflammation cells cells. Methods: The number of neutrophils and the values of TNFα . IL-8 in the sputum of 60 patients with stable and acute COPD were assayed respectively ( 28 smoking patients and 32 none smoking ones). Results:Both TNFα and IL-8 in the sputum of smoking patients with stable COPD were higher than that of none smokers(P0. 05.P0. 05). Both TNFα and IL-8 in the sputum of smokers with acute COPD were significantly higher than that of none smoking (P0. 05.P0. 05). Both TNFα and IL-8 in the sputum of none smoking patients with acute COPD were significantly higher than that with stable COPD (P0. 01,P0. 01 ). Conclusion: The increase of TNFα,IL-8 and the numbers of inflammatory cells in the sputum of COPD patients indicate that COPD was serious and acute COPD would attack more probably.