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Nasal reflexes: Reduced sensitivity to CO 2 irritation in cigarette smokers
Author(s) -
Dunn Jan D.,
ComettoMuniz J. Enrique,
Cain William S.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of applied toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.784
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1099-1263
pISSN - 0260-437X
DOI - 10.1002/jat.2550020312
Subject(s) - irritation , inhalation , reflex , nose , medicine , anesthesia , physiology , threshold dose , surgery , immunology
Carbon dioxide inhaled through the nose in concentrations above 10% evokes nasal irritation. As concentration is increased, a non‐systemic, reflexive interruption of inhalation eventually occurs in most persons. This study revealed that smokers have a considerably higher threshold for the reflex. The elevation of threshold occurred to a comparable degree in both male and female smokers, although females generally had a lower threshold than males. It therefore appears that smokers have less sensitivity to nasal irritants. This marks the first instance of a substantial chemosensory difference between smokers and non‐smokers.