Objective: To examine the epithelial integrity of the inferior turbinate in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) and perennial nonallergic (vasomotor) rhinitis (PNAR). Design: Nonrandomized, controlled morphometric study. Setting: University-affiliated hospital. Patients: Fifty-eight inferior turbinate samples were processed for histological study. Nineteen were from patients with PAR, and 20 were from patients with PNAR. Samples from 19 healthy individuals who underwent rhinoplasty

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... or cosmetic reasons served as control specimens. Main Outcome Measures: The length of the basement membrane (BM) covered with intact epithelium, covered with a single layer of basal cells, and devoid of epithelium was measured. Results: Intact respiratory epithelium and areas of partial and complete epithelial denudation were encountered in control specimens and in samples from patients with PAR and PNAR. A significant difference was found between the 3 groups (P=.001). The proportion of the BM covered with undamaged epithelium was significantly greater in control specimens and in samples from patients with PNAR than in samples from patients with PAR; the difference between the former 2 groups was nonsignificant. Most of the epithelial damage in patients with PAR occurred between columnar and basal cells rather than between basal cells and the BM (P=.02).