In the article, we consider what alveolar macrophages in sputum are.
Inquisitive patients who are interested in their health sometimes know about many laboratory standards no worse than any doctors. However, sputum in medicine is not examined as often as urine or blood, so some nevertheless can not very well navigate the results of such a test. Quite often, patients have a question about what these or other indicators of analysis are talking about? Below we will talk about the presence of alveolar macrophages in sputum and describe the pathologies in which their number may increase.
Definition
So called cells that are located in the lung tissue. They are located in the alveoli in places where gas exchange occurs. Alveolar macrophages in sputum (pictured) are classified as components of the immune system. They have a changing shape, they are capable of rapid movement, and among organelles there is a nucleus and a large number of lysosomes that contain a variety of enzymes.
All such features indicate that alveolar macrophages in sputum are not just structural components of lung tissue. In reality, their role is different, namely, in protecting the respiratory system from foreign objects.
When a person takes a breath, at first the air is completely cleaned of dust in the sinuses of the nose, then pollution and other foreign particles, as a rule, settle on the walls of the trachea. Then filtering continues in the bronchi, in which foreign microscopic fragments drown in the mucus, which is secreted by special cells, and expelled from the respiratory system through the cilia (long processes of these elements).
For bronchial cleansing of pollution and germs, such peculiar “brooms” make up to one thousand beats per second. In order for the reader to imagine this, it is worthwhile to draw a parallel: at approximately the same frequency, a mosquito flaps its wings during flight.
Even after the process of passing through all these filters, the air entering the lungs is not at all 100 percent pure: it can still contain microbes along with microscopic dust particles and so on. Actually, from these contaminants, air is also purified by macrophages (for good reason they are also called dust cells). They devour and digest malicious objects.
Unfortunately, alveolar macrophages in sputum do not withstand heavy loads, since, after producing phagocytosis, they soon die. Before the cessation of life, they go to the base of the respiratory bronchioles (the smallest bronchi leading to the alveoli). It is there that the walls of the respiratory canals leave the cells, they penetrate the mucus and remain in it. So alveolar macrophages end up in sputum.
Norm alveolar macrophages in sputum
There is an opinion that if doctors find any leukocytes in a sputum sample, then this is generally abnormal. But in fact, if macrophages are found in it, therapy is not always needed. The need for medical intervention is not determined by their presence, but rather by quantity.
Few thought about the norm of alveolar macrophages in sputum.
Dust with germs penetrates the respiratory system constantly with each breath. It is very difficult to influence this process in any way. In order to protect the lungs from pollution, you can walk around the gas mask around the clock, settle in, among other things, a hospital sterile box or, at worst, install a powerful climate-control system at home and live in these conditions without going outside. Of course, all this is hardly possible within the framework of real life.
Due to the fact that we are exposed to pollution attacks every day, it seems necessary to put up with it. Phagocytosis will be carried out by our macrophages even in those cases when the air quality will be normal in general. But there is always something from which it can be cleaned. This, in turn, means that cell death with their subsequent renewal occurs constantly. Therefore, even in healthy people, single alveolar macrophages can be found in sputum. To worry about this is absolutely not worth it.
What is the norm of alveolar macrophages in sputum, we now know.
The reasons for the change in quantity and deviation from the norm
But if there are a lot of these elements, then this already serves as an occasion to talk about the development of some kind of pathology. Numerous macrophages present in sputum occur when people have a disease of the lower respiratory canals and lungs, for example, this is possible with pneumonia, bronchitis, chronic ailments (be it obstructive disease along with asthma and so on).
Hemosiderin
Macrophages are not only standard, but also capable of containing hemosiderin, which is the product of the breakdown of hemoglobin. In the event that such an element is revealed in sputum, then this means that the dead red blood cell is "eaten and digested" by the alveolar protector. This is possible against the background of some heart defects, in the case of pulmonary infarction (a consequence of thromboembolism of arteries), insufficiency of organs with blood stasis in a small circle and other dangerous pathologies. Thus, in situations where macrophages are detected in sputum, the patient will need therapy, and most likely, serious.
What does the result mean?
The result of a sputum analysis can tell a lot, but one such study, unfortunately, will not be enough to make a full diagnosis. In addition to him, patients perform other diagnostic tests. And only when the disease is identified, it is planned to adopt an individual treatment program.
Reception "Transfer Factor"
People with various diseases are prescribed distinctive treatment regimens. But, whatever the problem may be, all patients can be recommended in such situations to take a medication called “Transfer Factor”. This tool was created on the basis of special information molecules that have a powerful normalizing effect on the functioning of the immune system. Its recovery, in turn, leads to an improvement in the well-being of the respiratory system. Against the background of the use of Transfer Factor, a faster recovery after illness is also achieved and the risks of exacerbations of existing ailments are reduced.
What do alveolar macrophages in sputum mean in large quantities?
Deciphering indicators and passing analysis
So, this biomaterial is a substance secreted by the internal membranes of the respiratory system. It consists of various components, whose presence has diagnostic value. For example, Kurshman spirals and alveolar macrophages are considered a clear sign of bronchial asthma. Crystalline formation indicates acute inflammation of the respiratory system, the presence of helminths and the like.
The mucous membrane of the lower respiratory canals in humans consists of ciliated prismatic epithelium, membranes, smooth muscle tissue. The glands are located in the submucosal layers. They secrete a large amount of secretion into the lumens of the middle and small bronchi. By the nature of sputum can be mucous, serous, purulent.
Tracheobronchial mucus, under the condition of a normal state, is produced in the human body up to 100 milliliters per day. The main functions of the exudate are protective. It protects the respiratory system and the entire body from the introduction of pathogenic microflora, caustic chemicals, allergens and foreign particles, dropping into the respiratory system during inspiration.
Sputum is a pathological substance that comes out during coughing. It is produced, as a rule, against the background of inflammatory processes, infections, mechanical damage to the epithelium, and so on. In order to properly obtain this biomaterial for laboratory research to determine the level of alveolar macrophages, the following is performed:
- The biomaterial is taken after a night's sleep, and at the same time, on an empty stomach.
- Before the coughing process, the oral cavity and throat are washed with boiled water.
- Sputum is collected in a prepared glass cup; the vessel must be closed tightly by a lid.
Thus, after analysis of sputum for alveolar macrophages, the norm in the laboratory is calculated. Increased indicators inform specialists about the presence of respiratory system diseases.
Effects
So, as already noted, if there are a lot of alveolar macrophages in sputum, then this serves as an occasion to talk about pathology, for example, pneumonia, bronchitis, chronic pathologies of the respiratory system and the like. In this regard, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate the disease, otherwise serious consequences are inevitable.
Emphysema
The first in the list of complications that are caused by untimely treatment is lung emphysema. Such a pathology develops gradually and, ultimately, leads to respiratory failure. The next in the list of complications is, perhaps, bronchial asthma, which is a chronic inflammation of the respiratory canals. This is a very formidable disease, which can significantly reduce the level of quality of life, affecting the human labor activity. We considered that these are alveolar macrophages in sputum.