Eotaxin-1 (CCL11) up-regulation in tears during seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.
OBJECTIVE
To compare in-season eotaxin-1 levels in tears of patients suffering from seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC) with (1) tears of normal subjects and (2) tears of SAC patients out of season.


METHODS
Tears of 11 SAC patients and six control volunteers were collected during the pollen season. Tears of five SAC patients showing a strong sensitivity to grass pollen (skin-prick tests and specific serum IgE) were collected both in season and out of season. ELISA measured eotaxin-1 level.


RESULTS
Eotaxin-1 concentration in tears of SAC patients [2,100+/-503 (SEM) pg/ml] and normal subjects (1,193+/-176 pg/ml) were significantly different (P=0.0049). Regarding allergic patients, the clinical score (sum of five allergic criteria) was significantly different in season and out of season (P=0.0043) as was also the case with eotaxin-1 concentration (P=0.024).


CONCLUSIONS
The eotaxin-1 concentration in tears of patients showing hay fever could confirm a diagnosis of seasonal ocular allergy.
Eperon
Simone
S
Ocular Immunology, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital, Av. De France 15, 1000, Lausanne 7, Switzerland.
Sauty
Alain
A
Lanz
René
R
Leimgruber
Annette
A
Lurati
Floriana
F
Guex-Crosier
Yan
Y
D000328:Adult; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000378:metabolism*; D002631:Chemotactic Factors, Eosinophil / Q000378:metabolism*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation
C515456:CCL11 protein, human; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D002631:Chemotactic Factors, Eosinophil