Medicina Pulmonar e Respiratória

Influence of Nasal Congestion on Respiratory Resistance Values

Abstract

Awowale A, Johnson A and Vossoughi J

Nasal congestion is the fourth most common minor ailment presented in primary care and as such, a method to quantify the meaning of nasal congestion in order to enable evaluation of medicines catered to specific congestion levels can prove important. The Airflow Perturbation Device (APD) is a noninvasive respiratory diagnostic device that evaluates the respiratory resistance in humans. It measures the total respiratory resistance under normal breathing in less than one minute. This study involved using the APD to determine the influence of nasal congestion on respiratory resistance in a laboratory setting. A total of 25 volunteers volunteered for this study and it employed a standard subjective categorical scale for nasal congestion (i.e. No Congestion, Mild Congestion, Moderate Congestion, and Severe Congestion). The results show that resistance values increased with increased congestion levels. However, resistance values of the groups of volunteers for the various congestion categories overlapped, and there were no statistically significant values differentiating no congestion and mild congestion or moderate congestion and severe congestion.