Background and Objectives: Eosinophils play a central role in the development of allergic diseases, including asthma, nasal allergy, and atopic dermatitis. Eosinophil migration in vivo is regulated by many cytokines and chemokines. Eotaxin has multifaceted effects on eosinophils and is a key mediator in the development of tissue eosinophilia, and interleukin (IL)- 13 causes surface expression of vascula r cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) on endothelial cells and may be important in eosinophilic inflammation in the nasal mucosa. We investigated whether serum eotaxin and IL-13 levels are elevated in allergic rhinitis and drew a correlation with the blood eosinophil counts, serum total IgE, and nasal allergic symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis.
Materials and Methods: Serum eotaxin and IL-13, blood eosinophils, total IgE, and symptom scores were measured in 30 patients with allergic rhinitis, 20 patients with non-allergic rhinitis, and 20 normal control subjects.
Results: The serum eotaxin concentration was significantly higher in the allergic rhinitis group than in the non-allergic rhinitis and normal control group (p<0.01, p<0.01). The serum eotaxin concentration was significantly correlated with the peripheral blood eosinophil counts in the allergic rhinitis group. But serum IL-13 concentration in the allergic rhinitis group was not higher than the other groups, and did not correlate with the blood eosinophil counts.
Conclusion: Although further investigations will be necessary, evaluation of the serum eotaxin level in allergic rhinitis will provide better understanding of the mechanism involved in allergic tissue eosinophilia.
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