Clinico-pathological study of chronic rhinitis in adolescents.

Through the increasing incidence and association of asthma, chronic rhinitis (CR) raises major problems in the pathology of children and adolescents. The evaluation of the inflammatory status together with the diagnosis and the tandem treatment of the two conditions can contribute to the improvement of the patients' quality of life. In this study, we analyzed the immunoexpression of cluster of differentiation (CD) 20, CD8, CD138 and eosinophil major basic protein (MBP) in 24 cases of CR in adolescents, in eight of them existing the association of asthma. Symptoms of CR and allergic status, as well as histopathological changes specific to a persistent inflammation, were identified in this study. The CD20∕CD8 immunophenotype was more specific for CR, while the CD138∕eosinophil MBP immunophenotype was specific for asthma-associated chronic rhinitis (AACR). The negative linear distribution of lymphocyte elements compared to plasmocytes and eosinophils specific for the allergic status can support the protective effect of CD8 T-lymphocytes and the presence of a semi-activated B-lymphocyte status in CR. The results may be useful for improving the stratification criteria of patients for therapy.