Do Nasal Allergy Filters Work?

Do Nasal Allergy Filters Work?

Do Nasal Allergy Filters Work?

A recent study, published in 2014, sought to determine the effectiveness of a nasal filter, called Rhinix, at preventing allergy symptoms caused by airborne pollen exposure. Twenty-four adult volunteers with a history of grass allergy were exposed to grass pollen in an environmental exposure unit (EEU) during the winter months – so as to be sure that there was no natural grass pollen exposure that could have affected the results. An EEU is a standardized way of exposing study volunteers to a specific amount of a certain kind of Pollen by having fans blow a certain amount of pollen around a room.

In this study, the volunteers wore either a real Rhinix device that filters pollen, or a placebo device that had no filter, and were exposed to grass pollen in an EEU for 210 minutes. The volunteers reported various symptoms at baseline (before entering the EEU) and every 30 minutes during pollen exposure, then again three hours after exiting the EEU.

The results of the study were somewhat mixed. Overall, when total symptoms were considered, there was no difference between the volunteers wearing Rhinix compared to the placebo filter device. The Rhinix device was effective at reducing some allergic symptoms compared to placebo, however, including nasal itching, sneezing, and throat irritation. For other allergic symptoms, such as a runny nose and nasal congestion, the Rhinix device showed no benefit over a placebo filter device. Rhinix was completely safe to use, was well tolerated and caused no significant side effects.