Abstract
Low-dose and long-term administration of erythromycin or new-macrolides (macrolide therapy) has been reported to be very effective for patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis, sinobronchial syndrome and some otorhinological lesions. The present study was carried out to determine the relation between the efficacy of the therapy and the immunohistological findings of the mucosa of the paranasal sinuses and nasal polyps in patients treated with macrolides. We obtained the following results. 1) The number of IgA positive cells in subepithelial layer of the mucosa of the paranasal sinuses decreased after the therapy, while the number of IgE posititive cells showed little change. 2) Poor responders to the therapy showed dominance of IgE positive cells compared with IgA positive cells in submucosa. 3) CD 4 positive T cells decreased in number after the therapy, indicating suppression of inflammation and normalization of the mucosa of the paranasal sinuses.
These results suggest that macrolides suppress chronic inflammatory response except for type I allergic inflammation. It is possible that macrolides may act on and regulate various cytokine networks relating non-allergic inflammation.
