Are measurements of peak nasal flow useful for evaluating nasal obstruction in patients with allergic rhinitis?

Background: Nasal obstruction is one of the most bothering allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms and there is a need for objective parameters to complement clinical evaluation due to blunted perception in many patients. In this study we compare measures of peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) and peak nasal expiratory flow (PNEF) in patients with AR and in individuals without nasal symptoms and correlate them with the perception of nasal obstruction.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in 64 AR patients and 67 individuals without nasal symptoms aged between 16 and 50 years. All subjects had PNIF and PNEF measures and subjective evaluations of nasal obstruction were done through a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a symptoms questionnaire.

Results: The results show a lower PNIF and PNEF in AR patients compared to controls. There was no correlation between VAS score and PNIF and PNEF. There was a weak inverse correlation between PNIF and symptoms score.

Conclusion: Objective measures of nasal obstruction, especially PNIF, can give useful informations on aspects of the disease dif- ferent from those obtained from the patient`s perception.