Lupus erythematosus cell phenomenon in pediatric bronchoalveolar lavages: possible manifestation of early radioadaptive response in radiation induced alveolitis

Abstract

A ten-year (December 1992 - December 2002) evaluation of 225 pediatric bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) differential cell counts showed appearance of the cells corresponding to the cytological entity - lupus erythematosus cell (LEC) in 47 specimens of which not a single case was associated with the coexistent autoimmune disease. There was a significant increase in the percentage of LEC in BAL samples of the examinees during the first 6 months after the bombing of targets in Serbia (July-December 1999) in comparison to the period 1992 to March 24, 1999, and after the bombing of targets in Serbia (2000-2002). Maintaining the character of occurrence of LEC in BAL as nonspecific (Zunic et al. 1996), the devastating power of alpha particles (originated from uranium decay) gives an opportunity to discuss this phenomenon more comprehensibly and perceive a new vista related to the pathogenesis of LEC phenomenon in BAL. Since the period after 1991 corresponds to the time after the first Gulf War, and later the bombing of targets in Bosnia, the possibility of occurrence of LEC in BAL as a manifestation of radiation alveolitis due to contamination by air transferred depleted uranium (DU) particles could not be excluded.