HISTOPATHOLOGICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN TONSIL AND ADENOID RESPONSES TO ALLERGY

In a previous study of adenoid tissue from allergic and non-allergic p atients, we concluded that in allergic children edema of the ''chorium '' was present in 80.4% and that treatment with antihistamine drugs ma y reduce this edema. The purpose of the present study was to compare t he histopathology of the palatine tonsil and adenoid from allergic pat ients. Tissue samples were obtained from 153 patients (56 tonsils and 97 adenoids from allergic children). We analysed the intensity of the edema and its cellular components in the chorium of palatine tonsils a nd adenoids. The frequently seen edema in the adenoids was significant ly different from that in the tonsils. The squamous epithelium of the tonsils was thicker and had stronger intercellular junctions than the columnar epithelium of the adenoids. This fact probably makes difficul t the contact of the antigen with the chorium.