Objective: There is still no study involving the immunologic properties of local allergic rhinitis (LAR). We aimed to determine the immunologic profile of patients with LAR by analyzing cytokines in the serum and nasal secretions and correlated the results with clinical characteristics.
Methods: Ten healthy volunteers (group A), nine patients with allergic rhinitis (group B), and seven patients with LAR (group C) were enrolled.
Main outcome measures: Changes in nasal symptoms, total nasal volume (TNV), and minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) were compared. We performed a Quantibody array for interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, IL-3, IL-5, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, stem cell factor, IL-10, and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) using serum and nasal secretions.
Results: Patients in group C had more aggravated rhinorrhea and itching than patients in group B (p < .05). The change in TNV and MCA was greater in groups B and C than in group A (p < .01). The serum concentration of IL-10 in group C was higher than in group A or B (p < .001). The concentration of IL-13, IL-5, IL-10, and TGF-β in group C was higher than in group A or B in the nasal secretions (p < .001).
Conclusions: Patients with LAR have similar symptoms, similar changes in TNV and MCA, and a similar profile of cytokine production and nasal secretions than those with allergic rhinitis. More prominent immunomodulating properties of LAR patients could in part explain the absence of systemic allergic responses.