Chromametric Assessment of Nasal Mucosal Color and Its Application in Patients with Nasal Allergy

Abstract

The color of the nasal mucosa was evaluated quantitatively in patients with nasal allergy and was compared with that in normal subjects. The chromaticity of the inferior turbinate was measured with the aid of a chromometer coupled with a light projection unit. Chromaticity was indicated by two parameters: the x and y values, which indicate the proportions of the red and green components of a color, respectively. Subjects included patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis (CP; n = 70) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR; n = 49), and normal subjects (n = 60). Mucosal blood flow in the inferior turbinate also was measured with a laser Doppler flowmeter in normal subjects. In normal subjects, the x value ranged between 0.4013 and 0.4539, and the y value ranged between 0.3065 and 0.3379. The averages of the x and y values were 0.4264 ± 0.0119 and 0.3204 ± 0.0067, respectively. Age and sex were not related to the chromaticity value. Application of 0.1% epinephrine (0.12 mL) by aerosol spray decreased the x value significantly, in association with a significant decrease in blood flow in normal subjects. The x value of chromaticity in PAR patients was significantly lower than that in normal subjects; this showed the reduced red component of the color. There was no significant difference in the y value between PAR patients and the normal group. In the CP group, the x and y values were not significantly different from values in normal subjects. However, the x value in the first week after the onset of symptoms was significantly greater than that in the normal group. It subsequently decreased to the normal level in the second week and fell to a significantly lower level thereafter. This study found that the chromaticity of the nasal mucosa reflects local blood flow and that the circulatory dynamics in CP patients changes with time during the pollinosis season.