Matteo Gelardi1, Maria Eleonora Leo1, Vitaliano Nicola Quaranta2, Lucia Iannuzzi1, Salvatore Tripodi3, Nicola Quaranta1, Giorgio Walter Canonica4, Giovanni Passalacqua5. 1. Section of Otolaryngology, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. 2. University of Bari, Bari, Italy. 3. Pediatric Department, Sandro Pertini Hospital, Rome, Italy. 4. Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, IRCCS San Martino-IST-University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. 5. Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, IRCCS San Martino-IST-University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: passalacqua@unige.it.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis affects up to 30% of the general population worldwide and is increasing in prevalence. Among several comorbidities, conjunctivitis is probably the most common and occurs so frequently with allergic rhinitis that the term allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) has been coined. OBJECTIVES: The cytological characteristics of conjunctival inflammation in patients with ARC were assessed and then correlated to clinical characteristics. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with clinically diagnosed ARC (23 men; 32.4 ± 13.5 years old) underwent a detailed clinical history and standard diagnostic allergy workup as well as nasal and conjunctival scraping for cytological analysis. Patients were subdivided into 3 groups on the basis of cytological phenotype: (1) nasal and conjunctival inflammation, (2) nasal inflammation only, and (3) no mucosal inflammation. RESULTS: Group 1 patients reported significantly higher eye itching scores (5.8 ± 2.9 on a 0-10 scale) than did patients in group 2 (3.8 ± 2.8; P = .06) or 3 (2.6 ± 2.9; P = .018) and were mostly men (81.8%). Male sex (odds ratio, 8.4; P = .005) and eye itching (odds ratio, 1.3; P = .019) significantly correlated with conjunctival inflammation. The odds of exhibiting conjunctival inflammation, at multivariate analysis, increased 13-fold for men and 1.5-fold for each point on the eye itching scale. A cutoff value of 3 or more for eye itching effectively identified patients with conjunctival inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that some clinical manifestations of ARC correlate well with conjunctival inflammation.
BACKGROUND:Allergic rhinitis affects up to 30% of the general population worldwide and is increasing in prevalence. Among several comorbidities, conjunctivitis is probably the most common and occurs so frequently with allergic rhinitis that the term allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) has been coined. OBJECTIVES: The cytological characteristics of conjunctival inflammation in patients with ARC were assessed and then correlated to clinical characteristics. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with clinically diagnosed ARC (23 men; 32.4 ± 13.5 years old) underwent a detailed clinical history and standard diagnostic allergy workup as well as nasal and conjunctival scraping for cytological analysis. Patients were subdivided into 3 groups on the basis of cytological phenotype: (1) nasal and conjunctival inflammation, (2) nasal inflammation only, and (3) no mucosal inflammation. RESULTS: Group 1 patients reported significantly higher eye itching scores (5.8 ± 2.9 on a 0-10 scale) than did patients in group 2 (3.8 ± 2.8; P = .06) or 3 (2.6 ± 2.9; P = .018) and were mostly men (81.8%). Male sex (odds ratio, 8.4; P = .005) and eye itching (odds ratio, 1.3; P = .019) significantly correlated with conjunctival inflammation. The odds of exhibiting conjunctival inflammation, at multivariate analysis, increased 13-fold for men and 1.5-fold for each point on the eye itching scale. A cutoff value of 3 or more for eye itching effectively identified patients with conjunctival inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that some clinical manifestations of ARC correlate well with conjunctival inflammation.