Pathological Comparison of Nasal Manifestation of IgG4‐Related Disease and Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Objectives: Immunoglobulin (Ig) G4-related disease has been widely known to affect many organs including the lacrimal gland, salivary gland, pancreas, retroperitoneal, etc. There are a few reports concerning the nasal lesion of this disease. However, the difference between the nasal manifestation of IgG4-related disease and allergic rhinitis (AR) has not been clarified. We compared the pathological findings in nasal specimens of IgG4-related disease with those of allergic rhinitis. Methods: Nasal mucosa was obtained from patients with IgG4-related disease and AR. We examined the infiltration of IgG4 positive cells and other infiltrating cells. These infiltrating cells in IgG4-related disease group were compared with those in the AR group. We also assessed the number of nasal glands in IgG4-related disease and the AR group. Results: The number of IgG4-positive plasma cells was significantly higher in the IgG4-related disease group than that in the AR group. CD3 and CD4 positive cells were also significantly higher in the IgG4-related disease group than in the AR group. The number of nasal glands was decreased in the IgG4-related disease group less than the AR group. Conclusions: The number of IgG4, CD3, and CD4 positive cells was significantly higher in the IgG4-related disease group than that in the AR group. There is a possibility that the nasal manifestations of IgG4-related disease might be different from AR.