Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract, which has an increasing prevalence worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore the associated immune cell infiltration and molecular mechanisms of AR based on a bioinformatics analysis. Methods: GSE43497 and GSE50223 datasets for whole blood and CD4+ T cells, respectively were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differences in AR-associated immune cell infiltration were analyzed using CIBERSORT. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed using clusterProfiler software. Results: There was an upregulation in the proportion of CD8+ T cells, whereas there was a significant down-regulation of neutrophils in the whole blood of allergen-treated AR patients compared to diluent-treated patients. A correlation was identified between immune cells and immune-related genes. NF-kappa B and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways were also positively regulated in AR patients following allergen treatment. CD4+ T cell genes and associated cytokines significantly differed in allergen-treated AR patients compared to healthy and diluent-treated AR patients. Conclusion: Our analysis revealed that T cell receptor signaling pathways and Th1/Th2 cell differentiation may be involved in the mechanism of AR development. This study is the first bioinformatic analysis identifying immune cell infiltration and its underlying mechanism in AR from combined microarray data and provides novel insight for further research into the molecular mechanisms of AR.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 related treatment delay on subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) efficacy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: The study was performed in 643 patients with SCIT appointments between February 1 and May 31, 2020. The clinical assessment, performed at baseline (V0) and one year later (V1), included visual analogue scale (VAS); daily symptom score (dSS); daily medication score (dMS); combined symptom and medication scores (CSMS); quality of life (QoL); self-rating anxiety scale (SAS); and self-rating depression scale (SDS) for each patient. Results: At V0, 249 patients were treated on schedule, and 394 were delayed (7 ± 4.68 weeks). Among them, 319 patients (105 on schedule, and 214 delayed) also completed the assessments at V1, with the absence of 25.39% patients due to completion of SCIT, and 25.35% patients were withdrawal. The results of all assessments were within the normal range for all patients at V0 and V1, with the exception of a slightly higher SDS score (56.13) at V0. In the SCIT delayed group. there was a significant positive correlation between the length (weeks) of the delay and SDS score, and this was significantly higher in patients with poor control of nasal symptoms. Conclusions: This study showed the long-term efficacy of SCIT for AR patients, including those who have had to delay normal therapy due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The psychological status of SCIT patients in response to lockdown of hospital services during this critical period should be considered.