20000125

'Humid air

improves lung

function in

asthmatics'

ISLAMABAD: Long-term treatment with warm humid air could improve lung function in some asthmatics with rhinitis, the nasal inflammation associated with common cold infections.

According to Dr. O.S. Bamford, from the Johns Hopkins Children's Centre, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues, "because warm humid air has been reported to reduce symptoms of rhinitis, we hypothesized that (it) would also improve pulmonary function in asthmatics with chronic rhinitis."

The researchers administered warm hot air at 20 litres per minute (38-39 centigrade, 100 percent relative humidity) through a nasal tube for one hour to nine adult patients with chronic rhinitis, and five healthy 'control' subjects. Each patient also received placebo (inactive) air through the same system.

The warm humid air improved measures of lung function in eight of the nine patients when compared with placebo, Bamford and colleagues found. The mean improvement was 5 percent.

Based on these findings, the US researchers suggest that long-term treatment with warm humid air could be used to improve lung function in this patient group.ÑAPP