Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytological picture of nasal mucosa in children with atopic diseases and to determine the diagnostic value of the test for the diagnosis of atopic diseases. The study included 140 children from 4 months to 17 years old. Among children with a history of atopy, there were 30 children with atopic dermatitis, 30 children with asthma, and 46 children with allergic rhinitis. The control group consisted of 34 healthy children. The nasal scraping technique has been used to collect samples from the nasal cavity. The samples were evaluated under light microscope. Epithelial cells as well as infiltrating cells were assessed. The only statistically significant group of cells differentiating children with atopic disease and without atopy were eosinophils, which in children with atopy were significantly more common. Assuming a significant eosinophilia value of at least 5% of all cells in cytogram, the sensitivity of nasal cytology in allergic rhinitis was 52.2%, in asthma 33.3%, and in atopic dermatitis 13.3%. The specificity of the test in atopic diseases was 94.1%. It can be concluded that nasal cytology with eosinophilia assessment can be a useful tool for an early diagnosis of atopic disease in children.
Highlights
The nasal mucosa is the most accessible for the noninvasive study part of the respiratory system
The nasal cytology is a research method evaluating cells located within it, and it is mainly used as an additional test in otolaryngology
Most of the papers had paid attention to the presence of eosinophils and their relation to the allergy, and the first of them had been conducted more than a century ago by Allergic rhinitis Asthma Atopic dermatitis
Summary
The nasal mucosa is the most accessible for the noninvasive study part of the respiratory system. The nasal cytology is a research method evaluating cells located within it, and it is mainly used as an additional test in otolaryngology. Epithelial cells such as basal cells, ciliated and nonciliated columnar cells, mucous (goblet) cells, and squamous cells are assessed as well as infiltrating cells: neutrophils, eosinophils, mast cells, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes. This method allows to assess the pathophysiological changes occurring in the nasal mucosa and monitor response to applied treatment and has both diagnostic and therapeutic values. An extremely precious feature of this research, especially in the pediatric population, is its noninvasiveness and painlessness; it requires no anesthesia, and it is cheap and simple to make
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