The Effect of PM10 on the Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis during Spring

Abstract

Objectives:Clarify the effect of PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 μm), which is the major component of air pollution, on the symptoms of allergic rhinitis patients during spring.Methods:We investigated changes in allergic symptoms (rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal obstruction and sleep disturbance) and nasal obstruction level as measured using a portable peak nasal inspiratory flowmeter (PNIF) in 108 allergic patients. Forty‐seven control subjects were also included. Spring pollen counts and PM10 concentrations in Incheon city were also evaluated. We conducted long‐term observation of the effect of PM10 on allergic symptoms for 120 days from February to May and compared the changes in symptom scores before and after the 2 days when PM10 concentration was 100μg/m3 (short term).Results:The highest concentration of PM10 during the study period was <150 mg/m3. No significant correlations between PM10 and nasal obstruction (P = 0.0670), rhinorrhea (P = 0.1485), sneezing (P = 0.3991), itching (P = 0.2044), sleep disturbance (P = 0.4413) and the sum of all symptoms (P = 0.0816) were identified. However, the variation in nasal obstruction, as assessed by PNIF, was significantly correlated with the PM10 level (P = 0.0410). There was also a significant correlation between outdoor activity duration and the sum of clinical symptoms (P < 0.001). Neither frequency of drug use nor PNIF values were affected by the short‐term changes in PM10 levels.Conclusions:Our data suggest that PM10 concentration during spring influences nasal obstruction as determined by PNIF; this nasal obstruction was also influenced by the duration of outdoor activity.