[Determination of elastase and alpha 2-macroglobulin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with interstitial diseases and its clinical significance].

Determination of elastase and its inhibitor alpha 2-Macroglobulin was done in BALF in 40 patients with ILD (study group) and 10 healthy volunteers (control group). The results showed that BALF levels of elastase and alpha 2-macroglobulin in study group were significantly higher than those in control group (P less than 0.01; P less than 0.05). Correlation was found between BALF elastase levels and cell count (r = 0.3214, P less than 0.05). It was suggested that elastase may play a role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis in interstitial lung diseases.