Relationship between histologic changes and inflammatory markers in chronic rhinosinusitis

The present study aimed to elucidate the relationship between histologic changes and inflammatory markers in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Inflammatory markers of CRS, including eosinophil and neutrophil counts, the eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, were investigated in tissues and peripheral blood. Inflammatory markers were evaluated according to the histologic changes of stromal edema, stromal fibrosis, and basement membrane (BM) thickening. Among 92 patients with CRS who underwent pathologic examinations, stromal edema, stromal fibrosis, and BM thickening were identified in 84.8%, 25.0%, and 53.3% of patients, respectively. Stromal edema and BM thickening were observed more frequently in CRS with nasal polyps than in CRS without nasal polyps (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). Tissue inflammatory markers differed according to the presence of histologic changes in tissues. In peripheral blood, however, only the eosinophil count differed according to BM thickening. Patients with two or more histologic changes had higher tissue eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (P = 0.008) and eosinophil counts (P = 0.002) compared with subjects with no or one histologic change. Conversely, the tissue neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil count were higher in patients with no or one histologic change than in patients with two or more changes. Collectively, tissue inflammatory markers may be correlated with histologic changes in CRS. However, serum inflammatory markers have a limited ability to predict histologic changes in patients with CRS.