Comparative analysis of age-associated inflammatory profiles in nasal secretions among chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps patients: adults versus children.

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) affects all ages, but inflammatory differences between pediatric and adult patients are unclear.

METHODS

Nasal secretions from 14 pediatric and 28 adult CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) patients, plus 14 pediatric and 14 adult controls, were analyzed for 27 inflammatory mediators via bio-plex.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, pediatric CRSsNP showed only decreased bFGF. Adult CRSsNP exhibited increased IL-6 and IL-7. Fourteen mediators (including IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-13, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, bFGF, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, PDGF-BB, RANTES) were significantly higher in adult CRSsNP patients than pediatric CRSsNP patients. Comparing control groups, adults had higher IL-5, bFGF, MIP-1α and lower IL-1Ra than children. Age positively correlated with levels of several cytokines, especially IL-5, IL-6, bFGF, and MCP-1.

CONCLUSION

Pediatric CRSsNP demonstrates a low-inflammatory profile relative to both pediatric controls and adult CRSsNP. Adult CRSsNP presents a significantly heightened inflammatory state. The data indicate that CRSsNP inflammation becomes more pronounced with age in the nasal mucous. This age-dependent increase in inflammatory mediators may explain why a better prognosis is typically observed in pediatric CRSsNP compared to adults.