Histopathological comparison between tonsil and adenoid responses to allergy.

In a previous study of adenoid tissue from allergic and non-allergic patients, we concluded that in allergic children edema of the "chorium" was present in 80.4% and that treatment with antihistamine drugs may reduce this edema. The purpose of the present study was to compare the histopathology of the palatine tonsil and adenoid from allergic patients. Tissue samples were obtained from 153 patients (56 tonsils and 97 adenoids from allergic children). We analysed the intensity of the edema and its cellular components in the chorium of palatine tonsils and adenoids. The frequently seen edema in the adenoids was significantly different from that in the tonsils. The squamous epithelium of the tonsils was thicker and bad stronger intercellular junctions than the columnar epithelium of the adenoids. This fact probably makes difficult the contact of the antigen with the chorium.