Nasal Mucosal Blood Flow at Rest and during Exercise

Abstract

Nasal airway resistance increases at rest in the supine position and decreases during exercise due to changes of the thickness of the nasal mucosa regulated by the capacitance vessels. The resistance vessels regulating blood flow have not not been evaluated in these conditions before. In 15 healthy subjects the nasal mucosal blood flow was measured in rest and exercise with the ¹³³Xe washout method. No change in blood flow was registered during exercise, which demonstrates that the blood flow and the blood content of the human nasal mucosa are not affected in the same way by exercise.