Hematological, Biochemical, and Serum Levels of Allergic Mediators in Individuals with and without Allergic Rhinitis

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most prevalent form of non-infectious rhinitis and is characterized by an immune response mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE).
Aim: This study aims to compare the levels of biochemical markers and other parameters in individuals with AR, non-allergic rhinitis(n-AR), allergic rhinitis accompanied by symptoms of the lower respiratory tract(AR-SLRT), and healthy controls.
Study Design: Case control study.
Methods: Blood samples from the three study groups, AR (n = 22), n-AR (n=20), AR-SLRT group (n = 21), and the control group (n = 18), were analyzed to ascertain the levels of total IgE, specific IgE, periostin, pendrin, vitamin D, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (Ft3), free thyroxine (Ft4), anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), as well as the leukocyte formula and hemogram.
Results: The AR and n-AR groups had significantly higher hematocrit values in comparison to the control group(p< 0.05). Further, eosinophil counts were significantly higher in the AR and AR-SLRT groups than in the control group(p< 0.05). Total IgE levels were significantly higher in the AR-SLRT group than in the AR, n-AR, and control groups (p< 0.05). The AR group had higher total IgE values compared to the control group and the n-AR group(p< 0.05). The values of ECP, periostin, pendrin, Ft3, Ft4, TSH, anti-TPO, and vitamin D did not differ significantly between the groups(p> 0.05).
Conclusion: All the investigated groups did not differ in ECP, periostin, pendrin, Ft3, Ft4, TSH, anti-TPO, or vitamin D parameters. The groups with positive AR and AR-SLRT had higher eosinophil counts than the control group. The group with AR-SLRT had higher total IgE concentrations than the other groups.