Aspecific nasal reactivity in allergic and non-allergic rhinopathy

The Allergo-Immunology Department of the 2nd ENT Division of Rome University studied the behaviour of aspecific nasal provocation with methacholine bromide and with H2O at 2-4 degrees C in five groups of patients thus divided: normal subjects, subjects affected by allergic rhinitis, subjects with positive reaction to Graminacee in and out of season, subjects affected by perennial rhinitis due to D.Pt., and those affected by perennial rhinitis of non-allergic origin. All subjects underwent complete E.N.T. check-ups, anterior rhinorheomanometry (RRM), mucociliary clearance test (MCT) and evaluation of amount of nasal secretion. We were able to observe that nasal provocation with methacholine bromide, though on the one hand it was not able to provoke a significant reaction in the mucociliary transport function even though it caused a substantial reaction in the conductance in all five groups, on the other hand it caused a significant modification of nasal secretion with varying levels in the different groups. Furthermore, it was to be observed that nasal provocation with a cold water solution set at 2-4 degrees C caused a more significant reduction of the nasal conductance in subjects affected by perennial rhinitis of non-allergic origin in comparison to the other groups taken into consideration, even though it did not cause particular variations in the parameters relative to mucociliary transport and nasal secretion.