At the moment of the epidemic, nucleic acid testing is a problem that everyone faces. Can patients with rhinitis be tested for nasal swab antigen? What should I pay attention to when self-collecting nasal swab antigen test?
April 9 is the 20th National Love Nose Day. Yu Feng, vice president of Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, an expert enjoying special government allowances from the State Council, and director of the Institute of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of Jinan University, reminded that patients with acute rhinitis are not recommended for nasal swab antigen testing, but throat swab antigen testing can be selected. As long as the operation is done in place, the effect is similar.
Can patients with rhinitis do nasal swabs?
Antigen detection is fast and simple, which can help improve the ability of early detection of cases. It is an important supplement to nucleic acid detection. Children are more susceptible to nasal diseases than adults. Can a nasal swab antigen test be done? What should I pay attention to when self-collecting nasal swab antigen test?
Nasal sampling for antigen detection.
Yu Feng said that different groups of people have different requirements for antigen self-testing.
In the case of acute rhinitis, the patient is likely to have nasal obstruction and may also have epistaxis. In this case, a nasal swab antigen test is not recommended for the patient, and the swab entering the nasal cavity may also exacerbate epistaxis.
If it is chronic or allergic rhinitis, it is no problem for the patient to choose the nasal swab antigen test. It is recommended to blow your nose before sampling, but do not wash your nose with normal saline, so as not to affect the virus concentration in the nasal cavity, which will affect the sensitivity of the test.
In terms of the operation method of self-collecting nasal swab antigen detection, Yu Feng reminded that if you have rhinitis and the nose is blocked, you can use a thin cotton swab to try to enter the nasal cavity from the middle of the nasal septum. Exacerbate possible nosebleed symptoms.
“Everyone’s nose is not exactly the same. Children or some people have larger turbinates or problems with a deviated nasal septum, which will cause the nasal swab sampling to be difficult. If one side of the nose does not work, you can try it on the other side. If it is unsuccessful, change it to throat swab sampling.”
Is it necessary to wash the nose with saline?
March and April are the peak seasons for allergic rhinitis. However, with the widespread habit of wearing masks and effectively physically blocking allergens, Yu Feng found that the number of outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis this year has dropped by about 30% compared to before the epidemic.
Spring willow.
Children are more prone to rhinitis due to their weaker resistance than adults.
As for the operation of washing the nose with normal saline advertised on the Internet, Yu Feng reminded that Children under the age of six are not recommended to wash the nose. Some people feel earache after washing their nose. It is because the operation of washing the nose causes otitis media. When washing the nose, the water easily passes through the nasal cavity and enters the middle ear through the throat tube, causing otitis media.
“If it is a patient with rhinitis and sinusitis, the nasal secretions are more dirty, or the air quality in some areas is poor, such as haze or sandstorm weather, you can choose to wash your nose. But under normal circumstances, you don’t need to wash your nose.”
He said that the nasal cavity is working 24 hours a day, in addition to warming and moisturizing the inhaled air, it also sterilizes Self-cleaning function. The nasal cavity secretes mucus, which contains some enzymes and antibodies. Through the movement of the nasal cilia, the substances in the mucus can destroy some bacteria, so there is almost no bacteria in the posterior segment of the nasal cavity. Most people do not need to wash their nose. Under healthy conditions, washing the nose is equivalent to destroying the normal system of the nasal cavity.
Writing: Southern Metropolis reporter Yang Liyun intern Wang Yifan correspondent Hu Yingyi Sun Bingqian