Hydrogen Nasal Rinse Reduces Chronic Rhinitis Symptoms Better Than Saline
- Authors
- Ling Jin, Kai Fan, Shiwang Tan, Shangxi Liu, Qin Ge, Yang Wang, Zisheng Ai, Shaoqing Yu
- Journal
- Journal of Inflammation Research
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.2147/JIR.S365611
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Chronic Rhinitis
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Rinsing the nose with hydrogen-rich saline is more effective at reducing symptoms of chronic nose inflammation, especially in patients with allergies, than regular saline.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline nasal irrigation reduced chronic rhinitis symptoms and nasal inflammation markers more effectively than standard saline irrigation, with the greatest benefit seen in patients with allergic rhinitis.
Summary
This study tested whether saline solution enriched with hydrogen gas could better treat chronic rhinitis (long-term nasal inflammation) than regular saline solution. Researchers gave 120 patients with chronic rhinitis either hydrogen-rich saline or regular saline as a nasal rinse and measured symptom improvement and inflammation markers. Hydrogen-rich saline reduced nasal symptoms and inflammation proteins more effectively than regular saline, especially in patients with allergic rhinitis, with no adverse effects reported.
Practical Takeaway
This randomized controlled trial suggests hydrogen-rich saline irrigation may offer modest additional benefits over regular saline for chronic rhinitis symptoms, particularly for those with allergic rhinitis. However, the study did not report treatment duration or sample characteristics, making it difficult to assess how substantial these improvements are in practical terms. More research is needed to determine whether these benefits justify the additional cost of hydrogen-enriched solutions compared to standard saline irrigation.
Abstract
Purpose: Chronic rhinitis (CR) is a common chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa. Nasal saline irrigation has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for CR. In this study, we investigated the beneficial effects of hydrogen-rich saline irrigation as an anti-inflammatory irrigation therapy for CR and compared its effectiveness over saline irrigation. Hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) was investigated due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Methods: A total of 120 patients with CR were randomly divided into two groups, patients irrigated with HR (HRS group) and the control group irrigated with saline (NS group). A randomized, double-blind control study was performed. The main observation index in this study was the total score of nasal symptoms (TNSS). In addition, eosinophilic protein (ECP) of the nasal secretions, nasal nitric oxide (nNO) levels, and levels of regulatory T cells (Treg) and regulatory B cells (Breg) were also compared between the two groups. Furthermore, patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) were also evaluated based on serum-specific IgE positivity. Results: After treatment, TNSS and nasal ECP in the two groups decreased significantly (P0.05). ECP levels were reduced significantly in the NAR subgroup compared to NS irrigation (P<0.05). There were no obvious adverse events observed in patients during the entire treatment period. Conclusion: Compared to saline irrigation, HRS nasal irrigation was found to improve CR clinical symptoms, especially in patients with AR. HRS could effectively be used for the clinical treatment of patients with CR. Keywords: allergic rhinitis; chronic rhinitis; hydrogen-rich; nasal irrigation; non-allergic rhinitis.