Histamine-induced suppressor cell function and nasal sensitivity in hay fever sufferers.

Histamine-induced suppressor cell function was measured in a group of twenty-five hay fever suffers and sixteen non-atopic controls. No difference was found in the suppression index between sufferers and controls. There was, however, a significant relationship between the suppression index and nasal sensitivity to grass pollen, whether measured pre- or post-season, but no correlation between specific or total IgE levels and the suppression index. Histamine-induced suppressor cell function may influence pollen sensitivity in the most sensitive subjects, but not via an effect on IgE production.