Mout h breathing can cause structural and functional alterations to the stomatognathic system. Aim: the aim of this investigation was to study breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking alterations present in patients with allergic rhinitis and associate it to rhinitis symptom intensity. Materials and Methods: 170 patients between the ages of 6 and 55 years were prospectively evaluated in this study, all of them underwent both otorhinolaryngological and speech evaluation. Data on breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking was gathered, as well as data from the medical evaluation. The data was compared and statistically analyzed. Results: the difference in signs and symptoms' score between GR and GC was significant. We noticed a significant difference between GR and GC in breathing, chewing and swallowing. We observed a significant association between the score of nasal obstruction and the intensity of breathing and chewing alterations. Conclusion: patients with allergic rhinitis have functional alterations in their stomatognathic system and an increase in nasal obstruction scores can be considered as a indication of such alterations.

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Patients with allergic rhinitis have functional alterations in their stomatognathic system and an increase in nasal obstruction scores can be considered as a indication of such alterations.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma represent a continuum of atopic disease and frequently occur as co-morbid conditions in the same patients. The precise mechanism underlying the inflammatory response in the lower airways of rhinitics is not fully elucidated. The primary objective of our study was to understand and to assess the inflammatory response within the upper and lower airways in patients suffering with both asthma and allergic rhinitis. METHODS: Endobronchial and nasal biopsies were obtained from atopic patients with mild asthma and persistent allergic rhinitis. Single blinded study was carried out between April 2007-July 2008. Coded biopsy specimens were embedded into glycol methacrylate resin for immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies directed against specific cell markers including mast cells (AA1), eosinophils (EG2), neutrophils (NOE), lymphocytes (CD3ϩ, CD4ϩ, CD8ϩ). 10 analyzable biopsy specimens were studied. Cells were counted blind, as cells/mm2 both in the epithelium and the submucosal matrix. MannWhitney U-test was used for analyses. P-values of 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in CD4ϩ, CD8ϩ cell counts (pϽ0.05) in lower airway. There were no differences between the two groups in the numbers of neutrophils, mast cells, eosinophils and the CD3ϩ cell counts. CONCLUSIONS: The upper airway had a similar pattern of mast cells, neutrophils and eosinophils to that in the lower airway. The increased CD4ϩ lymphocytes may be important in development and maintenance of allergic disease in the lower airway while the CD8 suggests functional diversity and protective effects in the lower airway.