AMOUNT OF POLLEN HAS AN EFFECT ON THE SYSTEMIC AND LOCAL-LEVELS OF SOLUBLE ICAM-1 IN PATIENTS WITH SEASONAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS

We investigated whether the amount of antigen has an effect on the sys temic and local levels of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) in patients with po llinosis, and assessed its biologic significance. The levels of subjec tive symptoms and sICAM-1 in sera and nasal epithelial lining fluids ( ELF) from 14 subjects with pollinosis (allergic group) and eight healt hy subjects (control group) were measured from pre- to postseason in 1 993 (total pollen count: 10854/cm(2)) and 1994 (total pollen count: 41 5/cm(2)), and the results were compared with each other among the four groups. The levels of subjective symptoms and sICAM-1 in ELF from the allergic group significantly increased during the season in both 1993 and 1994. However, there was a significant difference (P <0.01) betwe en the levels of those in 1993 and those in 1994 during the season. Th e levels of sICAM-1 in sera from the allergic group were significantly upregulated during the seasons and postseasons only in 1993, and ther e was a significant difference (P <0.05) between the levels in 1993 an d those in 1994 during the postseason. We conclude that amount of poll en has an influence on the local and systemic levels of sICAM-1, as we ll as the scores of subjective symptoms, in patients with seasonal all ergic rhinitis. (C) Munksgaard 1996.