Effect of Inhalational Therapy on Buccal Mucosal Cells in Asthmatic Patients: A Cytological Study
Mohammed Ismail Benazir, Harikrishnan Prasad, Muthusamy Rajmohan, Kenniyan Kumar Srichinthu, Perumal Prema, Loganathan Mahalakshmi, and Gopal Shiva Kumar
AbstractObjective: Inhalational drugs used in treating asthma have several side effects including those on oral tissues. We therefore designed a study to analyze the effects of inhalational drugs on the buccal mucosal cells of the oral cavity. Methods: Smears were obtained from clinically normal buccal mucosa of 20 randomly selected asthmatic patients who had been under inhalational therapy for at least 6 months. The Papanicolaou-stained smears were then analyzed for average nuclear area, average cytoplasmic area, and average nuclear area:cyto¬plasmic area ratio for each patient, and the values were compared with those of 10 healthy controls. Results: A statistically significant decrease in cytoplasmic area (P<0.001) was found in asthmatic patients compared to controls. A significant increase in mean nuclear area:cytoplasmic area ratio (P<0.001) was noted in asthmatic patients when compared to controls. Conclusion: Prolonged use of inhalational drugs in patients diagnosed with asthma is associated with changes in oral epithelial cells. There is a need to assess whether these are the direct adverse effects of such drugs and whether they have any long-term impact on oral tissues.
Rambam Maimonides Med J 2020;11(4):e0031