ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Surfactant protein-A (SP-A), which is an important constituent of natural surfactant, occurs physiologically in small amounts in blood. Tobacco smoke induces increased alveolo-capillary leakage of surfactant proteins into blood and its level in blood may help in the assessment of lung injury caused by smoke. Little is known on the SP-A levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Prospective analytical study of 30 patients with clinical diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, which was made on the basis of symptoms, signs and chest radiographic findings. Serum SP-A and serum cotinine levels were measured. RESULTS: Out of 30 patients, 21 were smokers and nine were non-smokers. The serum SP-A level in smokers with chronic bronchitis is significantly higher than the non-smokers. The plasma cotinine levels are also high in smokers. However, there was no correlation between the serum SP-A level and plasma cotinine level (r=0.044). Serum SP-A levels were related to age in smokers (r=0.566, p<0.01) but not in non-smokers with chronic bronchitis (r=0.017, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The increase in SP-A level in smokers with chronic bronchitis suggests that tobacco smoking causes a chronic increase in permeability of the lung parenchyma. The SP-A, a lung-specific secretory protein, is a potential marker for non-invasive assessment of the integrity of the lung epithelium. Further studies are required to find out whether SP-A can be used as a marker for early identification of smokers who are at risk of COPD.