Total nasal resistance among Sasang constitutional types: a population-based study in Korea

Background: There have been many attempts to find an objective phenotype by Sasang constitutional types (SCTs) on an anatomical, physiological, and psychological basis, but there has been no research on total nasal resistance (TNR) among SCTs. Methods: We assessed the value of the TNR in the SCTs classified by an integrated diagnostic model. Included in the study were 1,346 individuals (701 males, 645 females) who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The TNR was measured by active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR) at transnasal pressures of 100 and 150 Pascal (Pa). Results: The average TNR was 0.186 +/- 0.004 Pa/cm(3)/second at 100 Pa in the Tae-eum (TE), 0.193 +/- 0.007 in the So eum (SE), and 0.208 +/- 0.005 in the So yang (SY) types. Under condition of 150 Pa the TE type had a TNR value of 0.217 +/- 0.004, the SE type was 0.230 +/- 0.008, and the SY type was 0.243 +/- 0.005. Higher values of TNR were more likely to be reported in the SY type at 100 Pa and 150 Pa. In the stratified analysis by sex, the SY type in males and females tended to have higher TNR value than the TE and SE types at transnasal pressure of both 100 Pa and 150 Pa. Conclusions: These results provide new approaches to understand the functional characteristics among the SCTs in terms of nasal physiology. Further studies are required to clarify contributing factors for such a difference.