title: Peak nasal inspiratory and expiratory flow measurements--practical tools in primary care?
abstract: General practitioners diagnose and treat numerous patients with nasal problems but have no objective equipment to aid diagnosis. We studied the characteristics of peak nasal inspiratory (PNIF) and expiratory (PNEF) flows to explore their utility for primary care use. One hundred healthy volunteers, 50 men, 50 women, performed PNIF and PNEF measurements in standardised laboratory circumstances. Repeatability was tested for a subgroup of 20 women who performed two consecutive series of PNIF and PNEF at a 2-minute interval. Diurnal variability was tested with a subgroup of 10 men and 10 women who recorded PNIF and PNEF values at home every morning and evening for 7 days. Distribution of individual values for both PNIF and PNEF was wide and independent of subject's age, height, or gender. Repeatability was poor and diurnal variation substantial. PNIF and PNEF lack the properties of good clinical tests and thus cannot be recommended for primary care use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. karin.blomgren@fimnet.fi
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blomgren
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simola
authors.forename: Maija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hytönen
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitkäranta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009668:Nose Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D025363:Rhinomanometry / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity