title: Chronic rhinitis in HTLV-1 carriers: a histopathologic study.
abstract: The nasal histopathology of HTLV-1 carriers with chronic rhinitis is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the histopathological features of HTLV-1 carriers with chronic rhinitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsies of nasal mucosa of ten HTLV-1 carriers with chronic rhinitis (eight patients with allergic rhinitis and two patients with non-allergic rhinitis) were studied using a light microscope. Samples from ten patients with allergic rhinitis not infected with HTLV-1 were used as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subepithelial fibrosis was more pronounced in patients with allergic rhinitis infected with HTLV-1 (p=0.01), while the basement membrane thickness was greater in controls (p=0.03). There was a trend towards less eosinophilia and edema among those infected with HTLV-1, without statistical significance (p=0.2). For the lymphocytic infiltrate, there was no difference between infected and not infected patients with allergic rhinitis (p=1.0). Subepithelial fibrosis associated to moderate or small number of lymphocytes were found in the two HTLV-1 carriers with non-allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests HTLV-1 may modify the histopathology of allergic rhinitis, especially by promoting subepithelial fibrosis, and may be related to chronic non-allergic rhinitis with lymphocytic infiltrate.
authors.affiliation: ENT Service of the Professor Edgar Santos, University Hospital at the Federal University of Bahia.
authors.forename: Fernando P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Gaspar Sobrinho
authors.forename: Adelmir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Souza-Machado
authors.forename: Alvaro A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Hélio A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Lessa
authors.forename: Eduardo A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ramos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult