Abstract:ObjectivePatients with vasomotor rhinitis (VMR) usually complain of nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. The exact mechanisms of VMR are not clear. At present, there is still no effective therapeutic method for VMR.Methods49 patients with VMR were randomly divided into two groups. The hypertonic saline group included 25 cases (14 men, 11 women) with a mean age of 43.88 years old (ranged from19 to 66 years old), and the normal saline group included 24 (13 men, 11 women) with a mean age of 40.75 years old (ranged from 19 to 61 years old). The patients in the hypertonic saline group received nasal irrigation using 3.0% saline with a temperature of 40℃, and those in the normal saline group using 0.9% saline instead. The durations of the intervention period in both groups were 3 months. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the improvement of nasal symptoms including nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea, and the healthrelated quality of life was assessed with the 12item Short Form Health Survey version 2.0 (SF12v2). Contents of mucin (MUC) 5B and substance P (SP) in nasal lavage fluid (NLF) were assessed before and after treatment in the two groups.Results43 of 49 patients completed the study. After treatment, the total VAS scores of nasal symptoms including nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea decreased, and SF12v2 scores increased in the hypertonic saline group. Furthermore, MUC5B in NLF was also reduced, but SP showed no statistical change (P>0.05). In the normal saline group, the VAS score of nasal obstruction, SF12v2 scores and the content of SP in NLF showed no significant changes after nasal irrigation (all P>0.05). However, the VAS score of rhinorrhea and MUC5B in NLF were decreased after treatment in the normal saline group. After treatment, there were significant differences in the VAS score of nasal obstruction and SF12v2 score (all P<0.05), and no significant differences in the VAS score of rhinorrhea, SP and MUC5B in NLF between the two groups (all P>0.05).ConclusionHypertonic saline nasal irrigation is an effective longterm treatment for VMR.