title: Peak nasal inspiratory flow evaluation as an objective method of measuring nasal airflow.
abstract: Acoustic rhinometry, rhinomanometry and Inspiratory Peak Nasal Flow (IPNF) are used in order to objectively assess nasal patency. These are expensive not very practical tests, except for IPNF, which is a fast, simple and low cost method.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess IPNF in healthy individuals complaining of nose obstruction caused by allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  IPNF use in 78 individuals with and without rhinitis symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Contemporary cross-sectional cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IPNF showed significant results for nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, pruritus, sneezes and tearing (p < 0. 001). There was no correlation between the presence of nasal septum deviation and IPNF (p = 0. 561). We found a positive correlation between IPNF and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for nasal obstruction (p = 0. 002). In the multiple linear regression model, there was a statistical significance between the values found in IPNF with allergic rhinitis and age (p = 0. 005 and p = 0. 023 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IPNF proved to be a reliable method to detect changes in nasal patency, by obstructive causes as well as inflammatory causes, with an acceptable level of statistical significance, simple, easy to handle, inexpensive and reproducible.
authors.affiliation: MSC in Collective Health - FCM/UNICAMP.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Ubiratan Franco
authors.initials: RUF
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Resident Physician - Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Santa Casa de Campinas.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo Monteiro
authors.initials: CEM
authors.lastname: Zappelini
authors.affiliation: Resident Physician - Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Santa Casa de Campinas.
authors.forename: Fábio Silva
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: PhD; Professor - Graduate Program on Collective Health and Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery - FCM/UNICAMP - Thesis Adviser.
authors.forename: Everardo Andrade
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: da Costa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007320:Inspiratory Capacity / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult