Serum studies of leucocyte elastase in acute and chronic lung diseases.

Abstract

Immunoreactive leukocyte elastase was measured in the serum of patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis. No evidence was found to demonstrate the release of this enzyme in the pulmonary circulation. However the average serum concentrations (573.0 .mu.g/l; SD .+-. 261.0) were higher (2 P < 0.001) in this group of patients than in age matched control subjects (355.2 .mu.g/l; SD .+-. 274.8). Further studies confirmed this finding but patients with other active lung diseases had similarly increased leukocyte elastase concentration in the serum. A raised serum leukocyte elastase concentration apparently is a feature of active lung diseases and not a feature of obstructive bronchitis alone.