Free histamine in nasal polyp fluid.

Nasal polyp fluid was extracted from 52 patients to evaluate histamine levels and compare them with the corresponding serum levels. Large but variable amounts of histamine were found in polyp fluid (124-7600 ng/ml) which was between twenty and a thousand times the serum level. There was no significant difference between the polyp histamine levels in patients with a history of asthma, aspirin hypersensitivity, hay fever and positive skin tests.