ABSTRACT
Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory condition of the nasal mucosa triggered by Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated response to exposure to allergens. The most common symptoms are nasal obstruction, sneezing, runny nose and these in addition to swollen, itchy, red and watery eyes. Recent studies have shown highly elevated immunoglobulin E levels in the airway mucosa independently of serum IgE levels and atopic status. Nasal mucosa has intrinsic capability to produce IgE in allergic rhinitis. The study was conducted to explore the levels of nasal total IgE and serum total IgE and their correlation in symptomatic AR patients. This was a case control-study and two groups participated in the study. The first group included 203 symptomatic patients who were diagnosed in the otorhinolaryngology clinic as cases of AR, known as AR group. The second group was control group and included 203 apparently healthy volunteers without any history suggestive of AR. The associated risk factors for severe allergic symptoms were assessed by logistic regression model. The mean differences between nasal total IgE and serum total IgE levels of both groups were compared by t-test. A correlation was investigated between nasal IgE and serum IgE in both the groups. The mean level of nasal total IgE and serum total IgE was found to be 103.9 and 291.4 IU/ml in AR group, respectively, and 17.5 and 67.5 IU/ml in the control group, respectively. Levels of nasal total IgE and serum total IgE were significantly higher in the nasal fluids and serum of symptomatic allergic rhinitis patients than in controls (p < 0.001 and < 0.001 respectively). A logistic regression model showed severity of allergic rhinitis was significantly associated with nasal total IgE levels. The correlation of nasal total IgE levels with serum total IgE levels in the control group was found to be statistically insignificant. However a statistically positive correlation was observed between nasal total IgE and serum total IgE levels in the AR group. It is possible that nasal IgE and serum IgE interact in the pathogenesis of AR and this is evident in the current study. Nasal IgE levels should be evaluated in severe symptomatic allergic rhinitis patients. The interaction between nasal IgE to serum IgE levels should be further investigated in AR patients for other possible prevalent endotypes of AR.
ABSTRACT
Trichoepitheliomas (TE) are benign tumours but occasionally can undergo transformation to malignant neoplasms more commonly as Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC). The correct diagnosis between these tumours is very important because basal cell carcinoma is locally aggressive neoplasm and requires total surgical excision with wide healthy margins while trichoepithelioma needs simple excision. We describe three patients who developed basal cell carcinoma with facial trichoepitheliomas. The only clinical feature that distinguished the carcinomas from the trichoepitheliomas was their larger size, in all three patients, one patient with recurrent, hyper pigmented swelling with surface ulceration and in another patient there are multiple trichoepitheliomas, and other family members are also affected. The history, clinical features and histopathological findings were suggestive of the evolution of basal cell carcinoma directly from trichoepithelioma in our first two cases, but in the third case TE and BCC were separate lesions on face and we are uncertain about whether the BCC developed independently or by transformation from a trichoepithelioma. Based on our clinicopathological observations in the three patients and reports in the recent literature, BCC with follicular differentiation and trichoepithelioma are considered to be highly related.
