title: Primary school children often underestimate their nasal obstruction.
abstract: No consensus has ever been reached about the correlation between nasal resistance and the subjective sensation of nasal patency. The aim of the present study was to better de ne whether primary school and secondary school aged children correctly estimate their nasal obstruction.
  
  
  
  Two hundred eighty four children (168 males and 116 female) aged between 6 and 14 years (9.5+2.9 years) affected by Pediatric Allergic Rhinitis underwent Rhinomanometry and they were considered as correctly estimating their nasal obstruction when the grade of nasal patency corresponded to the severity of the NOSE score, overestimating when the grade of nasal patency was <1 when compared to the severity of the score, underestimating when the grade of nasal patency was >1 when compared to the severity of the score.
  
  
  
  Correlation between NOSE score and nasal patency was statistically significant (r -0.74; p<0.001). Children between 6 and 9 years of age underestimate (43.7%) and children >12 overestimate (34.7%) their symptoms more frequently than children among other age ranges (p<0.001).
  
  
  
  Although NOSE score approximately allow to quantify nasal obstruction, in children, especially between 6 and 9 years of age, an objective measurement of nasal patency should be performed to better define the therapeutic approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Occasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duse
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vittori
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rugiano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tancredi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Castro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Indinnimeo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zicari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D025363:Rhinomanometry; D057566:Self Report