Biochemical study of nasal secretions in chronic hypertrophic rhinitis

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis (CHR) affects the air passage by the respiratory lane of the nasal fossae, making the act of respiration harder and reducing considerably the life’s quality of the patients (about 16-50% of the population suffer from CHR). Morphologically, the hypertrophy of all the nasal turbinate layers occurs including the glands and nasal mucosa. Nowadays, the diagnosis of CHR is made on clinical examination and patients anamnesis. However, the pathogenetic mechanisms of this disease induce important changes at the cellular and biochemical levels, undetectable in its prodromal period and which anticipates the clinical manifestations. Exactly these primary alterations are the trigger, on which the further evolution of the disease will depend. Methods: Therefore, our aim was to investigate the changes in nasal secretion’s biochemical composition, in patients with CHR and the normal one. We consider that these data allow us to understand better the etiopathogenesis of the disease, to reveal indirectly the affected cellular constituents (channels, ion pumps, transporters, enzymes), their role in the genesis and evolution of the disease, as well as to elaborate a new, etiotrop and pathogenetic, conservative treatment (nowadays, the main method of treatment of CHR remains the surgery). Results: For this purpose, a group of 15 patients, previously diagnosed with CHR, was selected. Their age was between 8 and 21 years old: 8 females and 7 males. Control group included five participants, without clinical signs of any upper respiratory disorders. Samples were taken by swabbing (in the case group) and by nasal lavage (in the control group). Due to some chemical reactions, specific for each nasal secretions component, colored compounds were first obtained and then dosed by the spectrophotometric method. Conclusions: So, we established the normal and pathological (CHR) concentration of the next 8 nasal secretion’s components: total protein, albumin, Ca2+, Pi, Fe3+, Na+, Cl and Mg2+. The results show increased levels of the albumin, Ca2+, Pi, Na+, Mg2+ in the nasal secretion of the patients with CHR, compared with that of control group’s representatives. Also, we can remark a decreased concentration of the total protein, Cl and Fe3+. Biochemical reactions and the spectrophotometric method allowed us to determine the concentration of some constitutive elements of the normal nasal secretion and of that in CHR. It helped us to compare, to analyze and to highlight some of the specific features of the pathogenesis of this disease - data which present real clinical interest for establishing an effective conservative treatment.