Non-specific nasal reactivity: a proposed method of study.

To test a method for assessing non-specific nasal hyperreactivity, we submitted 23 allergic rhinitis sufferers, 12 normal subjects, 2 patients with asthma and 3 patients with asthma and rhinitis to bronchial challenge with ultrasonic fog (UNDW), recording nasal resistance (NR) and specific bronchial conductance (sGaw) simultaneously by means of a plethysmograph. A significant post-challenge NR increase was observed in 19 of the 23 rhinitis patients, in every patient with asthma and rhinitis, but in only 2 of the 12 normals and in none of the patients with asthma. There was no disturbing increase of nasal secretion. A significant post-challenge sGaw decrease was observed in all the asthmatics and in the patients with asthma and rhinitis, but only in 1 of the 12 normals and in 3 of the 23 rhinitis patients. We conclude that bronchial UNDW could be a suitable method for assessing both nasal and bronchial hyperreactivity.