Exhaled breath markers of alveolar macrophage activity in sarcoidosis

摘要

Granuloma formation in sarcoidosis is dependent upon the interaction between alveolar macrophages (AMs) and a CD4+-driven TH1 response. This study aimed to measure TNF-alpha and calcium ion concentrations as markers of AM activity, in addition to total protein as a non-specific inflammatory marker in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of patients with sarcoidosis as well as control subjects.