Swimming and nasal symptoms: pool and sea water exposure

Chronic rhinosinusitis is associated with significant prevalence and affects the quality of life of many people. The aquatic environment, specifically seawater and chlorinated pool water, has an impact on this disease. This study investigates the effect of swimming in these two types of water on the onset or worsening the symptoms of this condition. A cross-sectional study on a sample population of 55 swimmers, a questionnaire on symptoms was given and measurements of nasal flowmetry were taken before and after swimming, to objectively access the effects of water exposure. The results in the participant samples indicate that in chlorinated pool water, there wasn´t an aggravation of sinunasal symptoms, whereas in seawater, an improvement was observed, and this effect was more relevant on participants with chronic nasal symptoms. This effect was confirmed when analyzing flowmeter results. This study shows that swimming in chlorinated pool water, even when having sinunasal disease, water exposure does not trigger or worsen symptoms. It also shows that swimming in sea water had a significant positive effect on our sample population, mainly on those with prior nasal symptoms