Comparison of Cold Dry Air Exposure, Discs and Capsaicin

Nasal hyper reactivity is defined as an increased sensitivity of the nasal mucosa to stimuli such as temperature changes, changes in humidity, emotional stress, physical activity, smoke and/or other scents and gives often rise to nasal symptoms such as rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction and/or sneezing. nasal hyper reactivity is a clinical feature of rhinitis and rhinosinusitis, affecting more than 20% of the total Western population. Cold, dry air exposure has been shown to be a reliable method for diagnosis of nasal hyperreactivity. The new, shorter protocol for cold dry air provocation that recently has been validated as a useful diagnostic tool to evaluate nasal hyperreactivity with high specificity and sensitivity, is already a major step forward but still rather time-consuming and not always very practical in use. A hyperosmolar saline solution loaded on a small nasal sponge as described earlier has also been reported as being an effective means of evaluation of nasal hyperreactivity. In addition, capsaicin nasal spray has also been reported as being an elegant tool for the evaluation of the response of TRP channels on the nasal mucosa. So far, we lack data on the comparison between the 3 different diagnostic tools for the evaluation of nasal hyperreactivity in rhinitis.