Ciliary motility of nasal epithelium in children with asthma and allergic rhinitis

Abstract

Introduction: Dysfunction of the respiratory epithelium plays a fundamental role in asthma pathogenesis. Studies addressing ciliary dyskinesia in asthmatic children are relatively scarce. Objectives: To study the functional status of ciliated epithelium in children with asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) Methods: Children aged 5-17 years with asthma and AR were included: 18 with severe asthma, of which 6 with concomitant AR exacerbation; 37 with moderate asthma (10 with AR exacerbation); 25 with mild asthma (11 with AR exacerbation). Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was assessed by using digital high-speed videomicroscopy and special software. Ciliated epithelium was collected from inferior turbinate nasal mucosa. The proportion of epithelial cells with beating cilia, the number of desquamated cells and synchronism were evaluated, as well as saccharin test. Results: The median (interquartile range) CBF was decreased in all groups with concomitant AR exacerbation (1.44 [0-3.16] Hz; 3.88 [1.75-4.5] Hz; 3.5 [1.5-4.5] Hz for severe, moderate and mild asthma, respectively) compared with healthy controls (7.75 [6.88-8.5] Hz, P Conclusions: The study of nasal ciliated epithelium enables to estimate bronchial epithelium indirectly. Dysfunction of ciliated epithelium in asthma and AR is defined both by CBF decrease and ciliary depletion.