Different serum soluble Fas levels in patients with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma.
BACKGROUND
The pathogeneses of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma are believed to be closely mutually related because of the similar dynamics of allergy-inducing cells and molecules and clinical overlap. In this study, we compared these diseases in the dynamics of cell apoptosis-regulating molecules.


METHODS
Allergic rhinitis patients (n=36), bronchial asthma patients (n=22), and healthy subjects (n=32) were subjected to measurement of serum (soluble Fas) (sFas) levels during the stable and attack disease phases by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Serum sFas levels in patients with allergic rhinitis during the attack phase were significantly lower (P<0.0001) than those in healthy individuals. There were no differences between them during the attack and stable disease phases. In contrast, serum sFas levels in patients with bronchial asthma during the attack phase were higher (P<0.0005) than those in healthy individuals. Interestingly, the levels during the attack phase were lower (P<0.002) than those during the stable phase.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest a different pathogenesis for allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma at the cell apoptosis-linked step.
Kato
M
M
Department of Immunology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Nozaki
Y
Y
Yoshimoto
T
T
Tamada
Y
Y
Kageyama
M
M
Yamashita
T
T
Kurimoto
F
F
Nakashima
I
I
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000097:blood*
D019014:fas Receptor