Rajan Nikhil, Choudhury Bikram, Prakash Dipika, Soni Kapil, Kaushal Darwin, Shakrawal Neha, Nair Nithin Prakasan, Goyal Amit
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2022 Jul;131(7):730-736. doi: 10.1177/00034894211041821. Epub 2021 Aug 28.
It has been shown that prolonged use of face masks results in physiological changes in the nasal cavity. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of prolonged use of face masks on nasal mucociliary clearance (NMC).
A single group pre-post study was conducted to determine the effects of prolonged use of N95 face mask (≥4 hours) on the NMC rates in health care workers. Saccharin transit time (STT) was used to measure the NMC. STT before and after using an N95 mask for at least 4 hours was measured for all participants in controlled conditions of temperature and humidity.
Forty-eight volunteers (20 female and 28 male) completed the study after the enrollment of 57 volunteers. The mean STT before mask use was 580.27 ± 193.93 seconds (95% CI; 523.95-636.58 seconds) and after mask use was 667.47 ± 237.42 seconds (95% CI; 598.53-736.42 seconds). There was significant prolongation of the NMC after prolonged use of N95 mask on performing the paired -test ( = .002). The mean prolongation was 87.20 ± 184.97 seconds with an actual effect size of 0.40. Ambient temperature and humidity were not significantly different at the two test instances.
Use of the N95 face masks for 4 hours results in prolongation of the nasal mucociliary clearance as measured by STT. Susceptibility to any respiratory infection may be increased following doffing of the personal protective equipment, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) itself.
研究表明，长时间佩戴口罩会导致鼻腔出现生理变化。本研究的目的是探讨长时间佩戴口罩对鼻黏液纤毛清除功能（NMC）的影响。
采用单组前后对照研究，以确定医护人员长时间佩戴N95口罩（≥4小时）对NMC率的影响。用糖精转运时间（STT）来测量NMC。在温度和湿度受控的条件下，测量所有参与者佩戴N95口罩至少4小时前后的STT。
在招募的57名志愿者中，48名（20名女性和28名男性）完成了研究。佩戴口罩前的平均STT为580.27±193.93秒（95%CI：523.95 - 636.58秒），佩戴口罩后的平均STT为667.47±237.42秒（95%CI：598.53 - 736.42秒）。在进行配对检验时，长时间佩戴N95口罩后NMC有显著延长（P = 0.002）。平均延长时间为87.20±184.97秒，实际效应大小为0.40。两个测试实例的环境温度和湿度无显著差异。
佩戴N95口罩4小时会导致通过STT测量的鼻黏液纤毛清除功能延长。脱卸包括严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）本身在内的个人防护装备后，任何呼吸道感染的易感性可能会增加。
