ABSTRACT
This Study was conducted as prospective study on 36 asthmatics with evidence of chronic rhinosinusitis. The aim of this study is to study the effect of chronic sinusitis and polypoidal sino-pathy on the lower airways and to elucidate the effect of functional endoscopic sinus surgery [FESS] on the hyperreactive airway disease and asthma associated with chronic sinusitis. The results of this Study 3 months and 6 months postoperativley showed a significant improvement of all major nasal symptoms [P<0.05] [Table 1] except for hyposmia which did not show the same improvement [P>0.05]. In both allergic and non allergic patients 3 months and 6 months postoperatively, there was a significant improvement in the mean asthma symptoms [P<0.05] [Table 2 and Fig. 1], asthma exacerbation [P<0.05] [Table 3, 4]. We concluded that, sinus disease is an aggravating and exacerbating factor in asthma rather than an inducer of asthma and this was proved by improvement of severe asthma markedly after elimination of the offending sinusitis by FESS and by observation of airway hyperresponsiveness in non asthmatic subjects with chronic sinusitis, and by the observation of improvement of airway hyperresponsiveness after FESS due to relief of nasal symptoms and sinus lesions