Kinetics of Nasal Cytokine Responses to Mechanical Stimulation

IgE-associated allergy is a hypersensitivity disease affecting more than 40% of the population in industrialised countries. Recently the kinetics of change of clinical and immunological parameters (e.g. nasal blockage and cytokine profiles) in response to allergen exposure have been described. Additionally through recent placebo controlled studies it has become clear that the response of certain cytokines can not only be triggered by allergen exposure but also mechanically e.g through the insertion of nasal swabs for collection of cytokines. However it is not clear to what extent the mechanically triggered cytokine responses may differ between healthy, allergic and asthmatic patients who have been shown to have different cytokine profiles in their nasal secretions and varying impairment of their respiratory epithelium. As collection devices for nasal secretions are frequently used in clinical studies, the investigators aim to assess the impact of mechanical stimulation by frequent cytokine sampling on the cytokine profile.