Does intranasal demodex infestation play a role in chronic allergic rhinitis?

Authors : İlkay Can, Nesli Ceren Şapaloğlu, Haydar Keleş, Neşe Göçer Gürok, Öner Sakallıoğlu, Savaş Öztürk

Pages : 1-3

Doi:10.32322/jhsm.1546310

View : 157 | Download : 160

Publication Date : 2025-01-12

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of Demodex mites in the intranasal follicles of patients with allergic rhinitis and investigate their potential role in the etiology of allergic rhinitis. Methods: The study involved 50 patients diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and 50 healthy controls matched for age and gender. The severity of the disease was evaluated using the Score for Allergic Rhinitis and the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS). To evaluate the presence of Demodex in nasal follicles, a total of 8 terminal follicles, 4 from each of the right and left nasal vestibules, were epilated using sterile forceps. The samples were examined under a light microscope at 10x, 40x, and 100x magnification by two dermatologists. Results: Demodex mites were found in the intranasal follicles of 3 (6%) individuals from the healthy control group. Intranasal Demodex mites were found in 3 (6%) patients with allergic rhinitis, showing no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=1). The mean total nasal symptom score was 7.66±1.52 in the 3 allergic rhinitis patients with Demodex positivity, and 7.61±1.13 in the 47 patients without Demodex infestation, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). No significant correlation was observed between Demodex positivity, disease severity, and TNSS in patients with allergic rhinitis (p>0.05). Conclusion: Based on our study results, we think that intranasal antiparasitic treatments may be unnecessary in patients with allergic rhinitis.
Keywords : Demodex, alerjik rinit, TNSS