Characterization of Th2 Cytokines, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13, in Otitis Media with Effusion: Comparison of Allergy and Non Allergy / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: While it has been reasonably well demonstrated that allergy is a risk factor for patients of otitis media with effusion (OME), the causal mechanism is not well understood. Although Th2 cytokines are known to mediate allergic inflammatory reactions, there have been no reports about the presence of other Th2 cytokines in the middle ear effusions of OME patients except for IL-4. The aim for this study was to determine whether Th2 cytokines, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13, were present in the middle ear effusions, and whether these cytokines were present in higher concentrations in the effusions of allergic patients than of non-allergic patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirty ears of twenty nine patients with persistent OME were assayed for the cytokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Ten of these patients, which are 11 ears, were confirmed allergy positive by multiple allergosorbent test (MAST). The statistical differences in the positive rates of each cytokines between the allergy and the non-allergy groups were assessed by chi 2 test or Fisher's exact test, and the statistical differences in the measured concentrations of each cytokines between the two groups were assessed by Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The positive rates of each cytokines and the level of IL-5 were not statistically different between the allergy and the non-allergy groups. However, the levels of IL-10 and IL-13 in the non-allergy group were significantly higher than in the allergy group. CONCLUSION: The higher levels of IL-10 and IL-13 of the non-allergy group suggest that more active anti-inflammatory cellular responses exist in the middle ear of the non-allergic patients with OME than of the allergic patients, or that at least the different inflammatory processes exist between the two groups with regard to the pathogenesis of OME.