Smoking influences salivary histamine levels in periodontal disease.
OBJECTIVE
Histamine, a potent vasoactive amine, is increased in saliva of periodontitis patients. The present study aimed to further investigate the diagnostic potential of histamine for periodontal disease and assessed smoking, a major risk factor of periodontitis, as a possible influencing factor.


METHODS
Salivary and serum samples of 106 participants (60 periodontitis patients, 46 controls) were collected. Salivary histamine was determined by a commercially available ELISA kit, and serum C-reactive protein was measured by a routine laboratory test. Cigarettes per day and packyears were assessed as smoking exposure parameters.


RESULTS
Statistically significantly increased levels of salivary histamine and serum C-reactive protein were detected between the patient and control group (P = 0.022 and P = 0.001). Salivary histamine levels were significantly higher in smoking compared with non-smoking patients (P < 0.001), and salivary histamine as well as serum C-reactive protein correlated significantly positively with smoking exposure parameters (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking, an established and common risk factor of periodontitis, was assessed as a possible influencing factor for salivary histamine. Most interestingly, salivary histamine differed highly significantly between smoking and non-smoking periodontitis patients. Our results suggest a possible involvement of histamine in tobacco-exacerbated periodontal disease, but do not suggest salivary histamine as a reliable diagnostic marker for periodontitis.
Department of Periodontology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
K
K
Bertl
H
H
Haririan
M
M
Laky
M
M
Matejka
O
O
Andrukhov
X
X
Rausch-Fan
D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006632:Histamine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D017442:Histamine Agonists / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D017442:Histamine Agonists; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D006632:Histamine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein