LOCAL HYPERTHERMIA AND NASAL IRRIGATION FOR PERENNIAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS - EFFECT ON SYMPTOMS AND NASAL AIR-FLOW

Local hyperthermia or inhalation of heated water vapor is often recomm ended as a home remedy for various nasal disorders such as the common cold and allergic rhinitis. With technical advances in vapor generatio n, water can be heated to a range of 41-degrees-C to 43-degrees-C with variation in particle size. The effect of inhaled heated vapor treatm ents was studied in patients with perennial rhinitis for changes in na sal airflow and patient perception of symptoms. Thirty symptomatic pat ients underwent three treatments at weekly intervals: (1) a large part icle heated water vapor at 43-degrees-C for 20 minutes with a particle size of 4 to 8 microns, (2) a molecular water vapor at 41-degrees-C f or 20 minutes which is a vapor phase, and (3) nasal irrigation. Nasal airflow increased after both vapor treatments at four and six hours (P < .05) whereas airflow decreased after simple nasal irrigation treatm ent. Rhinitis symptoms improved after vapor treatments but not with na sal irrigation. Patients preferred the molecular water vapor treatment over the large particle vapor treatment and nasal irrigation by 2:1 m argin. This study demonstrated the usefulness of heated vapor treatmen ts in improving rhinitis symptoms and nasal airflow.