Correlation Between Cytokine Levels in Nasal Fluid and Scored Clinical Parameters in Patients with Nasal Polyposis

The aim of this study was to compare the cytokine levels in nasal fluid in subjects with nasal polyposis (NP) and co-morbid asthma and NP patients without asthma and to correlate these levels with clinical parameters of severity of disease. Forty NP patients (20 asthmatic and 20 nonasthmatic) were enrolled. Nasal secretion samples were collected from nasal cavities of all 40 subjects. The levels of Th1 cytokines IL-2, IL-12 and IFN-γ, Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10, chemokine IL-8, and proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α and TNF-β were measured using flow cytometric method. Each of the 40 patients was staged clinically according to global nasal symptom score, endoscopic score, and Lund-Mackay computed tomography (CT) score. The concentrations of Th2 cytokines IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 were significantly higher (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05) in patients with NP and asthma compared with NP patients without asthma. Positive correlations were observed between concentration of IL-2 in nasal secretions and global nasal symptom score, endoscopic score, and Lund-Mackay score only in NP patients without asthma. We also found positive correlation between CT score and the levels of IL-8, IL-4, and IL-1β in nonasthmatic patients. Finally, our results showed a positive correlation between IL-5 levels in nasal fluid and endoscopic score only in asthmatic patients. NP in asthmatic patients have different immunological patterns compared to those without asthma. We also concluded that concentrations of cytokines measured in nasal fluid were not sensitive enough to determine the severity of disease.