Evaluation of nasal mucociliary clearance by saccharine test in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to reveal whether there is nasal involvement by examining the Nasal Mucociliary Clearance (NMC) and the relationship between this activity and disease severity in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: In this prospective study, NMC time, disease activity (Disease Activity Score 28) and blood parameters of RA patients (n = 87) were investigated and compared with the healthy control group (n = 50). In addition, the relationship between DAS 28 and NMC was investigated. RESULTS: The mean NMC of the RA group was 9.51 ± 3.54 min, the mean NMC of the control group was 8.69 ± 2.85 min, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. There was no correlation between NMC and disease duration, and DAS 28. The mean NMC of the RA patients with Anti Cyclic Citrulled Peptide (Anti-CCP) positive was significantly higher than the negative ones. CONCLUSION: Although there was no significant difference in NMC values between the RA and control group, the NMC of the Anti-CCP positive patients was higher. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2.