- Abstract -

Backround: The diagnosis of allergic rhinitis is a multi-factorial process. Evaluation of nasal epithelial samples is a part of clinical allergy practice. Throughout the course of allergic inflammation, “the allergic effector unit”, the functional interface between mast cells and eosinophils, represents a central functional entity

Objective: The number of mast cells and eosinophilia are both of them important and are interpreted as an additional confirmation of nasal allergy. The present study was made to see the importance of the mast cells and eosinophilia in nasal secretion and biopsies in patients of allergic rhinitis and nasal polyps.

Material and methods: Forty patients suffering from allergic rhinitis, diagnosed on the basis of history, clinical examination and positive skin-prick test were selected for the study. All patients were fully symptomatic with sneezing, nasal congestion and running nose. It was collected by scraping the mucous membrane in the mid portion of inferior meatus (turbinate) and any contact with septum and head of the inferior meatus was avoided. We also harvested a portion of the nasal mucosa at this level and in patients, who had associated nasal polyps, were harvested intraoperatively, fragments of the polyp. All samples were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis.

Conclusion: Mast cells and eosinophils reside in a “niche” in the late and chronic phases of the inflammatory process, which enables the close proximity and tight interactions between the two cell types. These interactions, which can be mediated through soluble and physical pathways of communication, are possibly involved in modulating the severity and/or duration of the allergic response.

Key words: bio-psycho-social, multidisciplinarity, kineto-therapy, psycho-cardiology