ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the presence and frequency of Helicobacter pylori in palatine and pharyngeal tonsil tissues of children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 20 patients (15 males, 5 females; mean age 8.2 years; range 5 to 13 years) with chronic or recurrent tonsillitis and/or snoring. Of these, 17 patients underwent adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy, two patients underwent adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy with bilateral ventilation tube insertion, and one patient underwent adenoidectomy with bilateral ventilation tube insertion. H. pylori colonization was sought in all tonsillar specimens by rapid urease test and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: Rapid urease test showed H. pylori colonization in the palatine and pharyngeal tonsil specimens of one patient (5%), whereas immunohistochemical analysis showed four H. pylori-positive patients (20%), whose pharyngeal tonsil (n=2) or palatine tonsil (n=2) specimens were individually affected. CONCLUSION: The presence of H. pylori in both palatine and pharyngeal tonsil tissues of children suggests that these tissues can be a reservoir for H. pylori.
Subject(s)
Adenoids/microbiology , Helicobacter Infections/diagnosis , Helicobacter pylori/isolation & purification , Palatine Tonsil/microbiology , Tonsillitis/microbiology , Adenoidectomy , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Helicobacter Infections/microbiology , Helicobacter Infections/surgery , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Middle Ear Ventilation , Prospective Studies , Recurrence , Tonsillectomy , Tonsillitis/surgery , UreaseABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated three-year clinical and laboratory results of specific immunotherapy (SIT) for allergenic house dust mite species, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 26 patients (6 males, 20 females; mean age 28 years; range 17-56 years) who had allergic rhinitis and were found to be sensitive to D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae. Due to unresponsiveness to other treatment modalities, the patients received subcutaneous SIT for three years. Symptoms (nasal stuffiness, rhinorrhea, itching, sneezing, headache, eye symptoms, and smelling) were graded before and at the end of SIT, and blood eosinophilia, total IgE and specific IgE levels were determined. RESULTS: At the end of three years, the number of patients that showed strong positivity to D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae decreased from 26 (100%) to 3 (11.5%) (p=0.0001) and from 18 (69.3%) to 4 (15.4%) (p<0.005), respectively. There were significant decreases in blood eosinophilia, total IgE and specific IgE levels, and in the severity of all symptoms related to the nose, head, and eye. CONCLUSION: Specific immunotherapy reduces symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis. It is an effective treatment method for allergic rhinitis if performed by trained physicians in carefully selected patients.
