Relationship between rhinitis duration and worsening of nasal function.

Abstract

While it is well known that asthma is characterized by airway remodeling, few studies instead have investigated this issue in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). The aim of the study was to evaluate nasal function, ie, nasal airflow, in a cohort of patients with persistent AR (PER). One hundred patients, 50 with short-term and 50 with long-term PER, were prospectively and consecutively evaluated, clinically evaluated by visit, skin prick test, and rhinomanometry. Nasal airflow values were significantly lower (median flow: 348 mL/sec) in patients with long-term rhinitis (median duration nine years) as compared to patients with short-term (median duration one year) rhinitis (median flow: 466 mL/sec) (P < 0.0001). This study provides the first evidence that patients with PER may show a progressive worsening of nasal airflow depending on the duration of the disorder.