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Airborne
Fungi May Underlie Chronic Sinusitis
(NY, Reuters Health,10/18/04)
Dr. Hirohito Kita from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minnesota, and team, compared blood samples and nasal
secretions from 33 subjects, 18 of whom had rhinosinusitis.
The researchers found that most rhinosinusitis patients tested
negative for the anti-fungus antibodies typically associated
with an allergic response, but they tended to have higher
blood levels of antibodies to other fungi and their blood
cells overproduced inflammatory factors in response to
exposure to fungi. This overreaction to common airborne fungi
appeared to be the cause of the chronic inflammation of the
nasal passages and sinuses in at least some of the patients.
(Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology, October 8, 2004) |
Article Summary