Dysfunction of the mucous membrane in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases of the nasal cavity

Abstract

Performing not only respiratory, but also protective, olfactory, aesthetic and a number of other functions, the nose is an important part of the upper respiratory tract. The mucous membrane of the nasal cavity is the first protective barrier of the body that protects against the effects of adverse environmental factors, carrying out warming, purification and neutralization of the inhaled air. This mission is provided by the activity of the multilayered columnar ciliated epithelium, consisting of three main types of cells: ciliate, goblet and basal. The main protective mechanism in the nasal cavity is mucociliary clearance, carried out by means of nasal mucus and beating of cilia unidirectional towards the nasopharynx with a frequency of up to 1000 per minute. Violation of the integrity and disruption of the physiological functions of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity leads to the development of pathological processes, which in turn can lead to a failure in the work of other organs and systems of the body. To date, about 16-18% of all diseases of the ENT organs are chronic forms of rhinitis. According to the ICAR classification, which is based on the pathophysiological mechanisms of the development of rhinitis, allergic and non-allergic forms are distinguished. Common to various forms is the effect of certain factors on the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and, as a consequence, a violation of the mechanisms of its work.One of the forms of chronic rhinitis, caused by thinning of the mucous membrane and severe disorders of mucociliary transport, is atrophic rhinitis. The main symptoms of the disease are dryness, the formation of crusts in the nasal cavity, periodic bleeding. The approach to the treatment of acute and chronic processes against the background of atrophic changes in the nasal cavity should be comprehensive and aimed at restoring the physiological functions of the mucous membrane and the mechanisms of mucociliary transport.