Type 3 procollagen peptide in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Poor indicator of course and prognosis in sarcoidosis.

To investigate the role of bronchoalveolar lavage type 3 procollagen peptide as a prognostic indicator in sarcoidosis, we measured type 3 procollagen N-terminal peptide levels in lavage fluids from 84 sarcoidosis patients and monitored disease progress in these patients for a period of 12 months. Lavage procollagen peptide levels were significantly elevated in sarcoidosis patients compared to control subjects (p less than 0.001). No association was observed between lavage type 3 procollagen peptide and disease severity, as assessed by lung function tests. Follow-up monitoring of patients failed to demonstrate any relationship between subsequent functional deterioration and initial lavage type 3 procollagen peptide. These results suggest that elevated lavage type 3 procollagen peptide concentrations in sarcoidosis may reflect increased type 3 collagen synthesis associated with the inflammatory process rather than signal an early event in the development of chronic disease.