Nasal eosinophils correlate with FEV1 in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis associated to asthma

Eosinophil inflammation is present in nasal and bronchial mucosa and a clear link between upper and lower airways exists. Our aim was to evaluate whether nasal inflammation correlates with lung function in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis associated with asthma.Eighty perennial allergic rhinitics with mild asthma, aged from 18 to 46 years, were enrolled. Nasal scraping and spirometry were performed in all subjects.A close relationship between the nasal eosinophil number and the percentage of predicted FEV1 was demonstrated (r = -0.76; p0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Nasal cytology may be considered a non-invasive tool to assess airway inflammation in mild asthmatics with associated allergic rhinitis.