Viscosity and spinability of nasal secretions induced by different provocation tests

In the human nose, secretions can be experimentally induced in vivo and sampled by simple means for biophysical and biochemical analyses. It was the aim of the present study to compare viscosity and spinability of nasal secretions induced by different types of stimulation, i.e., provocation with methacholine, histamine, and allergen. The results showed considerable inhomogeneity of the samples with regard to both parameters, increased viscosity with time after consecutive allergen provocations (p less than 0.01), lower viscosity of methacholine- than of histamine- and allergen-induced secretions (p less than 0.05), comparable spinability of the 3 types of secretions, and a positive correlation between viscosity and spinability (p less than 0.01).