NASAL SMEAR FOR EOSINOPHILIA: A DIAGNOSTIC MARKER FORALLERGIC RHINITIS

Abstract

Background: Eosinophil play an important role in the pathophysiology of Allergic Rhinitis.
Presence of tissue eosinophilia is a characteristic feature of allergic inflammation and is
associated with release of Th2 cytokines with gives rise to various symptoms.
Objective: To establish the diagnostic importance of Eosinophil count in nasal smear for
Allergic Rhinitis.
Methods: Patient were selected on basis of history & clinical examination. These patients were
subjected to nasal smear for eosinophilia.
Results: The study showed strong correlation between nasal eosinophilia and Allergic rhinitis
i.e. 88.57% of patients had significant nasal eosinophilia (>10% eosinophil of total leucocytes).
Conclusion: Nasal eosinophilia is a reliable indicator for diagnosis of Allergic rhinitis. It is a
non-invasive and inexpensive OPD test. Thus it can be a valuable adjunct for history and clinical
examination in the diagnosis of Allergic rhinitis.