Abstract:
Sixty percent of astronauts report a sense of nasal congestion in space lasting 3-15 days, attributed to headward fluid shift. On Earth, perceived nasal congestion correlates poorly with nasal cavity dimensions. Our current study of olfactory acuity and nasal cavity dimensions in the microgravity analog of head-down tilted bed rest (HDT) provides a record of nasal tissue swelling and its correlate, transient and adapted fluid shift in the head, over a 70-day HDT period relevant to long stays on the ISS.
