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Is there any relationship between right and left hand dominance and right and left nasal airflow dominance?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2017

A Price  and
R Eccles
A Price
Affiliation:
Common Cold Centre, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
R Eccles*
Affiliation:
Common Cold Centre, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Prof R Eccles, Common Cold Centre, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, Wales, UK Fax: +44 (0)29 2087 4093 E-mail: eccles@cardiff.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background:

Left- or right-handedness is a common human trait, and it has been previously reported that human nasal airflow dominance correlates with hand dominance. Any relationship between hand dominance and nasal airflow dominance would be unusual. This study aimed to measure nasal airflow and look for any relationship to handedness.

Methods:

The modified Glatzel mirror was used to record the dominant nasal passage at 15-minute intervals over a 6-hour period in 29 healthy participants consisting of 15 left-handers and 14 right-handers.

Results:

In left-handers, the percentage of time that the left nasal passage was dominant ranged from 0 to 100 per cent. In right-handers, the percentage of time that the right nasal passage was dominant ranged from 4.2 to 95.8 per cent. No correlation between nasal airflow dominance and hand dominance was identified.

Conclusion:

The results do not support the hypothesis that nasal airflow and handedness are related.

Keywords

NoseAirway ResistanceRespiratory AirflowFunctional Laterality
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 131 , Issue 10 , October 2017 , pp. 846 - 852
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2017 

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