EARLY AND LATE ALLERGIC REACTION IN THE NOSE ASSESSED BY WHOLE-BODY PLETHYSMOGRAPHY

Physiological changes during late phase nasal responses after allergen challenge are difficult to establish and different criteria are used for the definition of a positive late phase nasal reaction. The object ive of this study was to assess the value of whole body plethysmograph y in detecting changes in nasal airway resistance after allergen chall enge and to suggest criteria for the definition of early and late phas e nasal reactions. Nasal challenge with allergen was performed in 15 a llergic patients, Nasal resistance was followed until 10 h after aller gen challenge and on a control day using whole body plethysmography. T he mean percentage changes in the inspiratory nasal resistance during the early phase period (0.25-2 h) and the late phase period (4-10 h) w ere significantly higher on the allergen challenge day than on the con trol day (p=0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). The mean percentage chang e in the inspiratory nasal resistance during the early and late phase period on the control day plus 2 times the standard deviation served a s cut-off point for a positive reaction, Using this definition, all pa tients had early reactions and 7 of the 15 patients (47%) also had lat e reactions. We conclude that whole body plethysmography is a useful, noninvasive method for the measurement of the physiological changes in the nose following allergen challenge.