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Tryptase in nasal fluid is a useful marker of allergic rhinitis
Author(s) -
Rasp G.,
Hochstrasser K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1993.tb00688.x
Subject(s) - tryptase , medicine , allergy , allergen , sinusitis , immunology , nasal provocation test , chronic sinusitis , mast cell
Tryptase is a mast cell‐specific marker of degranulation. To investigate the possible diagnostic value of tryptase in allergic rhinitis, we measured the levels in both serum and native nasal fluid with a sandwich RIA‐assay (Pharmacia). Twenty‐three allergic patients and five patients with chronic ethmoidal sinusitis were included. Eighteen of the 23 allergic patients were tested within the pollen season or had perennial rhinitis; the remainder were tested at least 1 month out of the pollen season. None of the patients had detectable serum tryptase (>0.1 ng/ml). Also patients with chronic ethmoidal sinusitis showed no tryptase in nasal fluid. One of seven allergic patients tested out of season had slightly increased nasal tryptase of 1.8 ng/ml. In patients with active nasal allergy, the tryptase in nasal fluid ranged from 6.4 ng/ml to 640 ng/ml with a mean of 101 ng/ml and SD 173. These results show a clear distinction between active and non‐active nasal allergy and other non‐mast‐cell‐related nasal disease. Further, nasal tryptase release by natural allergen exposure is even higher than that observed in allergen challenge tests.