COMPREHENSIVE MORPHOLOGIC, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL, AND CORRELATION STUDY OF THE PALATINE AND PHARYNGEAL TONSILS IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATION

This article describes a comprehensive study of palatine and pharyngeal tonsils affected by chronic inflammation. The study included morphometric measurements, immunohistochemical results, and correlation analysis. Noticeable structural differences were found, such as changes in epithelial thickness, the depth of crypts and lacunae, and the size of follicles. Differences were also seen in inflammatory infiltration and microvascular density. The levels of the main immune markers—IL-6, IL-8, CD20, CD3, and CD68—were not stable and varied depending on the patient’s age and the type of tonsil. To define the interplay between structural organization and molecular signaling, correlation analysis was applied to relate morphometric indices to cytokine expression levels.