Facial thermography during nasal provocation tests with histamine and allergen

• Published in: Allergy (Copenhagen) Vol. 48; no. 5; p. 314
• Main Authors: Seppey, M, Hessler, C, Bruchez, M, Savary, M, Pécoud, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Denmark 01.07.1993
• Subjects: Adult; Allergens - administration & dosage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Face; Female; Histamine; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nasal Provocation Tests; Pollen; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal - diagnosis; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal - physiopathology; Skin Temperature
• ISSN: 0105-4538
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1993.tb02399.x

Changes of skin temperature (T degree) of the nose area during nasal provocation tests with histamine and allergen were followed by means of an infrared thermography camera. By a colimator system in which temperatures measured on a given surface can be integrated and averaged, thermography allows the continuous and quantitative recording of the temperature during the whole procedure in a completely noninvasive way. In 10 normal subjects, increasing doses of histamine induced a dose-dependent rise of the nose external temperature. No significant change was observed with the vehicle solution. In six subjects allergic to grass pollen, the nebulization of increasing concentrations of a pollen extract induced a dose-dependent rise in T degree. The T degree rise observed after histamine or allergen corresponded to a marked nasal obstruction. The nebulization of the highest dose of the pollen extract did not induce any T degree rise in six nonallergic subjects. The continuous recording of the skin temperature by a noninvasive method might yield additional information on the vascular changes rapidly occurring during nasal challenges.