Adult respiratory distress syndrome as a specific manifestation of a general permeability defect in trauma patients.

To establish whether a general dysfunction, i.e., an increase in permeability, had occurred in 16 trauma patients (6 with adult respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS]), we measured beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2MG), myoglobin (MG), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and transferrin (TF) concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), serum, and urine as well as extravascular lung water content (EVLW) over a period of 14 days. Our results show a positive correlation (p = 0.03) between increases of EVLW, reflecting lung edema, and beta 2MG concentrations in urine of all patients with ARDS, indicating systemically increased permeability. Generalized increase of permeability can also explain the elevation of MG urine concentrations (p = 0.03) together with an EVLW increase, and an increase of BAL protein concentrations (IgG, TF, p less than 0.01) in the early post-trauma phase during the first 48 h after admission. In contrast, commonly used kidney function tests remained unchanged over the time course of 14 days.