Department of Allergy, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Turkey.
Allergy Asthma Proc. 2010 Mar-Apr;31(2):126-31. doi: 10.2500/aap.2010.31.3325.
The exact mechanism of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is not clear in allergic rhinitis (AR); an increase of BHR in pollen season suggests that natural pollen exposure causes airway inflammation in seasonal AR (SAR). This study was designed to investigate the effects of natural pollen exposure on inflammatory cytokines and their relationship with BHR. Sixty-six SAR patients with grass pollen sensitivity and 26 nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) patients were included. Peripheral blood samples for cytokine levels were taken and a nonspecific bronchial provocation test was performed during pollen season between May and August. The same measurements were repeated off-season between November and February. These measurements were done in NAR patients once. During the pollen season, SAR patients had significantly more increased levels of IL-13 than NAR patients (11.45 +/- 12.54 versus 5.19 +/- 4.02; p = 0.005). Blood eosinophil numbers were higher in those patients with BHR during pollen season than those without BHR (399.0 +/- 255.8 versus 278.9 +/- 193.2 mm(-3); p = 0.046). Blood eosinophil numbers during off-season were not different in those with and without BHR (respectively, 261.4 +/- 202.3 mm(-3) versus 205.9 +/- 116.9 mm(-3); p = 0.53). IL-10 levels were higher in the patients without BHR (n = 28) than those patients with BHR (n = 22) during off-season (8.12 +/- 13.1 versus 3.28 +/- 0.37; p = 0.04). Having higher levels of IL-10 than threshold value was more frequent in SAR patients without BHR than those patients with BHR during off-season (7/28 versus 1/22; chi(2) = 4.34; p = 0.04). IL-10 has a role in the continuation of BHR during off-season in SAR patients.
支气管高反应性（BHR）的确切机制在变应性鼻炎（AR）中尚不清楚；花粉季节 BHR 的增加表明，季节性 AR（SAR）中，自然花粉暴露会导致气道炎症。本研究旨在探讨自然花粉暴露对炎症细胞因子的影响及其与 BHR 的关系。纳入 66 例对草花粉敏感的 SAR 患者和 26 例非变应性鼻炎（NAR）患者。在 5 月至 8 月的花粉季节采集外周血样以检测细胞因子水平，并进行非特异性支气管激发试验。在 11 月至 2 月的非花粉季节重复进行相同的测量。NAR 患者仅进行一次测量。在花粉季节，SAR 患者的 IL-13 水平明显高于 NAR 患者（11.45±12.54 与 5.19±4.02；p=0.005）。花粉季节时，BHR 患者的血液嗜酸性粒细胞数高于无 BHR 患者（399.0±255.8 与 278.9±193.2/mm3；p=0.046）。BHR 患者与无 BHR 患者在非花粉季节的血液嗜酸性粒细胞数无差异（分别为 261.4±202.3/mm3 与 205.9±116.9/mm3；p=0.53）。在非花粉季节，无 BHR（n=28）的患者的 IL-10 水平高于有 BHR（n=22）的患者（8.12±13.1 与 3.28±0.37；p=0.04）。在非花粉季节，无 BHR 的 SAR 患者 IL-10 水平高于阈值的频率高于有 BHR 的患者（7/28 与 1/22；卡方=4.34；p=0.04）。IL-10 在 SAR 患者非花粉季节 BHR 的持续中起作用。
