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Peak nasal inspiratory flow in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease: a case-control study
Ana Karine Vieira1, Cristina Gonçalves Alvim2, Clara Polito Braga2
1Hemominas Foundation, Master's Degree in Pediatrics - Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil.
Insights
Children with sickle cell disease often have reduced peak nasal inspiratory flow, indicating potential upper airway obstruction. This simple test can aid in clinical screening for affected individuals.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Genetics
Background:
- Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common inherited blood disorder with widespread health effects.
- Upper airway obstruction, specifically adenotonsillar hypertrophy, is a frequent complication in SCD patients.
- Peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) is a non-invasive measure of upper airway function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) in pediatric patients diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD).
- To investigate the relationship between SCD and reduced upper airway function as measured by PNIF.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 279 children and adolescents aged 8-15 years.
- Comparison of PNIF measurements between 93 children with SCD (cases) and 186 healthy children (controls).
Main Results:
- Children with SCD demonstrated a significantly higher likelihood (82.83%) of having lower PNIF values compared to controls.
- 75% of SCD patients exhibited PNIF values in the lower range, versus only 25% in the control group.
Conclusions:
- Reduced PNIF is highly prevalent in children with sickle cell disease.
- PNIF measurement can serve as a valuable screening tool in routine clinical evaluations for pediatric SCD patients to detect upper airway obstruction.
Objective:
Sickle cell disease is the most frequent of the hereditary hemoglobinopathies and it presents multisystemic effects. A manifestation that is commonly found in sickle cell disease is upper airway obstruction, particularly adenotonsillar hypertrophy. This study aims to evaluate the peak nasal inspiratory flow measurements of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease.
Methods:
This is a case-control study on children aged between 8 and 15 years who were diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Peak nasal inspiratory flow measurements were obtained from patients.
Results:
A total of 279 patients were enrolled in this study, with 93 in the case group and 186 in the control group. The case group had an 82.83% chance of having lower peak nasal inspiratory flow values than the control group. In the case group, 75% of the peak nasal inspiratory flow values were in the lower standards, whereas in the control group, only 25% were in the lower standards.
Conclusion:
This study showed a high prevalence of reduced peak nasal inspiratory flow values in children with sickle cell disease and could certainly be incorporated into the day-to-day clinical evaluation of patients as a screening instrument.
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