The study of chemical mediators in the patients with allergic rhinitis. 2) Histamine, leukotriene and kinins in the nasal secretion during dual phase response.

Abstract

In order to clarify the details of a late phase response (LPR) in allergic rhinitis, serial changes of nasal symptoms and concentration of chemical mediators (histamine, leukotriene (LT) C4 and kinins) in nasal lavage fluid were investigated after the nasal antigen challenge in ten patients with perennial allergic rhinitis with a positive intradermal skin reaction to mite extract. Samples were collected periodically for 8 hours following the challenge. Nasal airway resistance (NAR) and clinical symptoms were also recorded serially. Three out of ten patients showed only early phase response (EPR) and the other seven patients showed both early and late phase response after the challenge. The chief nasal symptom in LPR was nasal obstruction. In EPR, concentrations of chemical mediators in the nasal lavage fluid always increased. In dual (early and late) phase responders, increases of chemical mediators in nasal lavage fluids were notable during both early and late phase responses. In EPR, there was a significant correlation between severity of sneezing attack and concentration of histamine. In LPR, increase of LTC4 level was significantly correlated with the increase of NAR. RAST score and daily nasal symptoms tended to be higher and more sever in dual phase responders compared with early phase responders. We suggest that the amounts of released chemical mediators during allergic reaction denoted the LPR in allergic rhinitis patients.