NASAL CILIARY BEAT FREQUENCY AFTER NASAL ALLERGEN CHALLENGE

The aim of this study was to estimate nasal ciliary frequency (CBF) before and after nasal allergen challenge. Patients were challenged with Pharmalgen D Pteronyssinus or grass pollen. The nasal reaction was measured with active anterior rhinomanometry and visual analog scale. CBF was measured by a photometric technique, on nasal specimens obtained with a brush from the inferior turbinate before and 20 minutes after challenge. A positive response to nasal challenge was seen in 12 patients and associated with a decrease in CBF in all but one patient. The CBF mean value for this group fell from 13.1 (+/-1.9) Hz to 11.5 (+/-1.8) Hz (p < .01). In another 11 patients where the challenge was negative, there was a tendency to increased CBF after challenge, 14.1 (+/-2.1) Hz before and 14.8 (+/-2.1) Hz after (p = .07). Thus, in this study CBF was decreased when an allergic reaction was provoked and, in contrast, moderately increased after a negative challenge. In a nasal allergic reaction it is possible that decreased mucociliary function contributes to nasal obstruction and decreased ventilation of the sinuses.