Abstract
To determine possible nasal inhalation mechanisms in heated aerosol in treating allergic rhinitis, we measured nasal resistance before and after antigen or histamine challenge to nasal mucosa in nasal allergy patients treated and untreated by local hyperthermia. In antigen stimulation, mean nasal resistance in the group treated with local heated aerosol was significantly lower than that in the untreated group at early and late allergic reaction phases. In histamine stimulation, mean nasal resistance in the treated group was significantly lower and mean sneezing time was shorter than in the untreated group. We consider suppressed chemical mediator release from mast cells and decreased nonspecific hypersensitivity in allergic nasal mucosa to be possible mechanisms behind the effectiveness of heated local aerosol therapy.
