Nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea reflect nonspecific nasal hyper-reactivity as evaluated by cold dry air provocation.

CONCLUSION

Nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, and the amount of rhinorrhea that confidently reflect the parasympathetic stimulation can be used to more precisely predict nonspecific nasal hyper-reactivity (NHR).

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to identify factors that confidently reflected the presence and the degree of NHR, measured by cold dry air (CDA) provocation and acoustic rhinometry.

METHODS

A total of 156 patients with allergic or non-allergic rhinitis were classified into three groups according to the decrease of minimal cross-sectional area (MCA) after CDA provocation (group A: n = 40, MCA decrease >60%; group B: n = 29, MCA decrease 30-60%; group C: n = 87, MCA decrease <29%). Symptom scores using the visual analog scale (VAS) were obtained before and after CDA provocation. Changes of VAS were compared between groups. The amount of rhinorrhea was measured after CDA provocation.

RESULTS

VAS scores for nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, and sneezing were significantly higher in groups A and B than in group C before and after CDA provocation. Change of nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea was significantly larger in group A compared with group B or C. There were also significant differences in the amount of rhinorrhea between groups. All these parameters significantly correlated with the change of MCA values after CDA provocation.