Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  1999 Oct;42(10):1261-1263.

The Effect of Air in a Sauna on Nasal Mucociliary Function

• Lee CB
• Cho JS
• Lim SC
• Cho Y
• Na AS
• Jeong HS

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There has been many attempts to find out the changes in the nasal mucociliary transport function under various conditions. In this study, we intended to determine if air in a sauna exerts any beneficial effect on the nasal mucociliary function using the saccharin method, which is regarded as the proper screening test for nasal mucociliary function.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Normal healthy adults (16 men, 15 women) aged from 18 to 22 volunteered for this study. We measured each saccharin transit time (STT) twice, inside a room (25degreesC, 85%), a dry sauna (70degreesC, 85%), and a wet sauna (70degreesC, 100%), respectively.
RESULTS
The average STT was 7.98+/-2.95 minutes at the room, 8.47+/-1.71 at the dry sauna, and 7.59+/-2.95 at the wet sauna. There was no meaningful relationships of STT among each condition (p=0.157).
CONCLUSION
Air in a sauna has neither any beneficial effect on the nasal mucociliary function nor any harmful effect on it.

Keyword

Nasal mucociliary function; Sauna; Saccharin

MeSH Terms

Adult
Humans
Male
Mass Screening
Mucociliary Clearance
Saccharin
Steam Bath*
Saccharin