Tear and serum soluble leukocyte activation markers in conjunctival allergic diseases

PURPOSE: To measure markers of leukocyte activation in patients with an exc lusively ocular inflammatory or bacterial disease. METHODS: Neutrophil myeloperoxidase, eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophi l neurotoxin, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor were measured in serum and tears of 17 patients with allergic vernal keratoconjunctivitis, seven with atopic keratoconjunctivitis, ii with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, sev en with giant papillary conjunctivitis, 13 with rosacea blepharokeratoconju nctivitis, seven with bacterial conjunctivitis, and 13 normal subjects as c ontrols. RESULTS: In serum of patients with vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis, levels of eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophil neurotoxin, and interleuk in-2 receptor were significantly increased compared with control subjects b ut were not correlated with the severity of ocular symptoms. In tears of pa tients with vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis and seasonal allergic co njunctivitis, as well as in the nonallergic diseases, rosacea blepharokerat oconjunctivitis and bacterial conjunctivitis, levels of eosinophil cationic protein, neurotoxin, and interleukin-2 receptor were significantly increas ed compared with control subjects. The highest values of these markers were found in vernal keratoconjunctivitis samples. Neutrophil myeloperoxidase w as significantly increased in vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis, rosac ea blepharokeratoconjunctivitis, and bacterial conjunctivitis. In vernal ke ratoconjunctivitis, tear markers were correlated to the clinical score of t he disease, but not with cytology. CONCLUSIONS: Tear histamine was measured in 10 allergic patients after alle rgen challenge. Although none of the above markers can be considered specif ic to a single disease, their measurement may still be useful for the quant ification of local cell activation in ocular inflammatory diseases. (Am J O phthalmol 2000;129:151-158. (C) 2000 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights re served.)