Local IgE in Subjects With Allergic or Non-allergic Rhinitis

20% of Germans suffer from seasonal or all-season rhinitis. Despite typical allergic symptoms, in a part of the affected patients (about 10-20%) an allergy cannot be found on skin prick test or blood. Therefore, the planned trial will investigate the incidence of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis in a non selected group of young students (n=100-300). The hypothesis postulates that in test subjects with non-allergic rhinitis the allergy can only be proven locally in nasal secretion.

From the initial large cohort of patients, 24 subjects with house dust mite allergy and allergic rhinitis and 24 patients with non-allergic rhinitis will be selected and investigated in more detail at a second visit. At the second visit, blood and nasal secretion (measurement of local IgE) will be taken from all pre-selected 48 patients. At visit 2 a nasal provocation test with house dust mite allergen will be performed in all patients to compare nasal symptoms with the results of local IgE between patient groups. In addition the same investigations will be performed in a group of 20 healthy non-allergic subjects.

Inclusion criteria

• Informed consent
• Seasonal or all-season symptoms of an allergic or non-allergic rhinitis
• Healthy non-allergic subjects

Exclusion criteria

• Patients: Age <18 and > 45
• Other severe diseases (e.g. Cystic fibrosis, diseases with immunosuppression, malignant diseases)
• Previously occurred allergic shock
• Pregnancy and lactation
• Participation in another clinical trial within the last 30 days
• Inability to measure the length and the consequences of the study
• Frequent use of medication which could not be discontinued in the defined time before enrollment: nasal vasoconstrictors 1 day; antihistamines 3 days; nasal steroids 7 days; oral cortison 4 weeks; leukotriene antagonists and cromolyn 2 days before NPT