Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, Kutahya, Turkey.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2010 Nov;267(11):1713-8. doi: 10.1007/s00405-010-1252-9. Epub 2010 Apr 18.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of high altitude (HA) on the expiratory nasal sound spectra. The design consisted of a prospective analysis. The study group consisted of 24 otorhinolaryngologists and a student (2 females, 23 males) climber of the mountain of Kackar in Rize, a city located in northeastern Turkey. The elevation of the highest peak of the Kackar Mountain is 3,937 m (12,920 ft) and that of mountain plateaus at about 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Nasal sound spectral analysis was performed on 25 subjects at 700 and 3,937 m, respectively. We found that sound intensity (dB) at high frequency (Hf) was below 18.6 dB in the subjects at low altitude, while the results were found to be above 25.1 dB in the subjects at HA during expiration. A correlation was observed between the degree of HA and 'Odiosoft-rhino' findings at Hf intervals of the subjects. At the top of the mountain, the sound intensities at low and medium frequency were observed to be significantly lower than at low altitude (p < 0.05). We concluded that Hf values of HA were significantly higher than at low altitude because of nasal congestion and also narrowing of the cross-sectional area of the nasal airway. Nasal conchal and mucosal congestion affects airflow through the nasal cavity at HA, transforming it from a laminar pattern to turbulent flow. We found significant increases in the sound intensity level at Hf in the sound spectra at HA. Awareness of the impact of HA in nasal airflow is important in the diagnosis and treatment of nasal obstruction symptoms.
本研究旨在评估高海拔 (HA) 对呼气性鼻声谱的影响。设计为前瞻性分析。研究组由 24 名耳鼻喉科医生和一名学生（2 名女性，23 名男性）组成，他们攀登了位于土耳其东北部里泽市的卡克马克山。卡克马克山的最高峰海拔 3937 米（12920 英尺），高原海拔约 3000 米（9800 英尺）。分别对 25 名受试者在 700 和 3937 米处进行鼻声谱分析。我们发现，在低海拔地区，受试者的高频（Hf）声音强度（dB）低于 18.6 dB，而在 HA 呼气时，结果发现高于 25.1 dB。我们观察到 HA 程度与受试者 Hf 间隔处的“Odiosoft-rhino”发现之间存在相关性。在山顶，低频和中频的声音强度明显低于低海拔（p<0.05）。我们得出结论，由于鼻腔充血和鼻气道横截面积变窄，HA 的 Hf 值明显高于低海拔。在 HA 时，鼻甲和粘膜充血会影响鼻腔气流，将其从层流模式转变为湍流。我们发现，在 HA 的声谱中，Hf 处的声音强度水平显著增加。了解 HA 对鼻腔气流的影响对于诊断和治疗鼻塞症状非常重要。
