Variations in congestion of the nasal mucosa in man.

Congestion of one side of the nose is accompanied by decongestion of the other side. This is called the nasal cycle. The nasal cycle does not seem to be present in all subjects and it has not been shown with rhinostereometry. There are very few studies showing whether there are spontaneous day-to-day variations in nasal mucosal congestion and no studies showing differences in nasal mucosal congestion between morning and afternoon. This, however, may be very important in studies covering a longer period. In the present study, data from four healthy volunteers were recorded 18 or 19 times in the mornings and afternoons on different days. Measurements were made with rhinostereometry, a peak flow meter (PNIF) and by symptom scores. A nasal cycle was found in some subjects. There was no difference in total nasal mucosal swelling in the mornings and in the afternoons and no day-to-day variation in the total nasal mucosal swelling.