Subjective and objective nasal obstruction assessment in children with chronic rhinitis.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was undertaken, to test the hypothesis that schoolchildren on long-term treatment for chronic rhinitis under-report their nasal congestion.


METHODS
Ninety-seven children aged 8.3-15.5 years (median 12.7) with non-purulent perennial rhinitis, for 1.4-8.5 years (median 2.8) self-graded their nasal blockage as "severe" (group-A), "moderate" (group-B), "mild" (group-C) or "absent" (group-D). An additional 48 normal children served as controls (group-E). Subsequently active anterior rhinomanometry for total nasal airway resistance (TNAR) measurement and decongestion test (>20% TNAR fall) were employed as objective means of nasal congestion.


RESULTS
Mean pre-decongestion TNAR values did not show any significant difference between the group-A, -B and -C; significant differences were observed between group-A and -D (p=0.04) and between all groups as compared to -E. Positive decongestion test was detected in 57.1%, 53.8%, 48.3%, 32.3% and 10.4% of children in group-A, -B, -C, -D and -E, respectively (group-A, -B, -C versus -E p<0.001, group-D versus -E p=0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Schoolchildren on long-term treatment for perennial rhinitis frequently under-report their symptom of nasal stuffiness.
Priftis
Kostas N
KN
Department of Allergology-Pulmonology, Penteli Children's Hospital, P. Penteli 152 36, Greece. kpriftis@otenet.gr
Drigopoulos
Kostas
K
Sakalidou
Afrodite
A
Triga
Maria
M
Kallis
Vasilis
V
Nicolaidou
Polyxeni
P
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D025363:Rhinomanometry / Q000379:methods*