@article {Andersson1404, author = {Cecilia Andersson and Ellen Tufvesson and David Aronsson and Anders Bergqvist and Michiko Mori and Leif Bjermer and Jonas Erjef{\"a}lt}, title = {Alveolar mast cell expression of FcɛRI differs between allergic asthma and rhinitis}, volume = {38}, number = {Suppl 55}, elocation-id = {1404}, year = {2011}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Background: A significant proportion of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) develop asthma. Our aim was to investigate expression of the high affinity IgE receptor (FcɛRI) on alveolar mast cells in patients with AR with mild and uncontrolled asthma, AR with and without bronchial hyperactivity (BHR) and non-atopic controls.Methods: Bronchial and transbronchial biopsies from controls, patients with AR and patients with AR with concurrent asthma were processed for immunohistochemical identification of MCT and MCTC and their expression of FcɛRI and bound IgE.Results: The alveolar parenchyma in uncontrolled asthmatics had an increase in densities of both MCTC (p=0.05) and MCT (p=0.003). In patients with AR with or without BHR and mild asthma no difference in tissue density of MCT or MCTC was observed in central airways and alveolar parenchyma compared to controls. Mast cell expression of FcɛRI was high in all groups in central airways. The expression of FcɛRI on alveolar mast cells was increased in AR patients with concurrent mild (p=0.01) and uncontrolled (p\<0.001) asthma compared to healthy controls. The asthmatics also had increased numbers of alveolar mast cells that expressed surface-bound IgE. A similar increase in mast cell FcɛRI expression and surface-bound IgE was not seen in patients with AR with or without BHR.Conclusions: Our data suggest that patients with atopic asthma have increased alveolar mast cell expression of FcɛRI and surface-bound IgE compared to healthy controls and patients with AR with or without BHR. This might reflect a peripheral involvement of mast cells in the allergic asthma response and underscores the need to target peripheral lung inflammation in this patient group.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/1404}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }