[Determination of sialic acids in the nasal mucosa lavage]

A modified method of determining the sialic acids by using Ehrlich's reagent and according to G. Sydow (1985) was worked out; the method is characterized by a higher sensitivity as compared to the unified methods of Hess and Svennerholm, which enables to process the nasal mucous lavage that has an essentially lower concentration of sialic acids than the blood serum. A clinical approbation of the modified method (in patients with bronchial asthma, and with obstructive and non-obstructive bronchitis) showed that it preserved the specificity typical of the original method and is sufficiently sensitive. Examinations of 12 healthy volunteers showed that the concentration of sialic acids in their lavage amounted to 0.110 +/- 0.012 mumol/L.