Alveolar cell composition in interstitial lung disease and the development of a pulmonary progressive fibrosing phenotype: a retrospective cohort study

Table 2 Differential cell counts and lymphocyte subsets among ILD subforms

	IPF (n = 18)	HP (n = 35)*	Idiopathic NSIP (n = 13)	Unclassifiable ILD (n = 20)	Sarcoidosis (n = 11)	Other (n = 14)	P-value
Macrophages %	79.9 [74.0–88.5]	64.0 [30.0–76.5]	73.0 [42.0–85.0]	72.5 [44.8–86.5]	65.0 [46.5–68.5]	54.1 [27.3–74.5]	0.008
Neutrophils %	8.5 [5.0-15.5]	6.6 [3.5–11.1]	8.6 [3.0–10.0]	8.5 [4.8–13.7]	4.0 [2.0–5.1]	5.0 [2.6–9.5]	0.23
Eosinophils %	1.4 [1.0–2.0]	1.0 [0.0–3.0]	3.0 [0.4–4.0]	0.8 [0.0–3.0]	1.0 [0.0–3.5]	0.1 [0.0–0.9]	0.40
Lymphocytes %	6.8 [4.2–9.7]	27.7 [12.2–56.4]	17.0 [4.6–44.0]	12.0 [5.0–22.3]	27.0 [15.5–33.8]	21.8 [8.5–57.0]	< 0.001
CD4 + T cells %	59.0 [42.3–71.8]	68.0 [51.8–76.5]	48.0 [38.0–60.0]	55.0 [37.8–68.0]	69.0 [37.0–78.5]	42.5 [36.0–68.0]	0.16
CD8 + T cells %	26.5 [17.0–36.5]	24.5 [14.3–34.5]	38.0 [23.0–56.0]	29.0 [20.5–42.8]	24.0 [10.5–56.5]	45.5 [26.8–54.0]	0.24
NK cells %	4.5 [2.0–7.8]	3.5 [2.0–7.0]	3.0 [2.0–9.0]	4.5 [2.0–6.0]	2.0 [1.0–3.0]	4.0 [2.3–6.8]	0.13
B cells %	1.0 [0.4–2.0]	0.8 [0.5–1.0]	1.0 [0.5–1.0]	0.8 [0.5–1.3]	0.7 [0.2–2.0]	0.7 [0.5–1.7]	0.98
Ratio CD4+/CD8+	2.4 [1.1–4.5]	2.7 [1.4–5.7]	1.3 [0.7–2.3]	1.7 [0.8–3.4]	2.8 [0.7–5.5]	1.0 [0.6–2.7]	0.20

Data are presented as the median [interquartile range]. * Data from one patient in the lymphocyte subset analysis were missing. HP = hypersensitivity pneumonitis; ILD = interstitial lung disease; IPF = idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; NK = natural killer; NSIP = non-specific interstitial

ISSN: 1465-993X