Clinical Characteristics of Chronic Sinusitis with Asthma / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic sinusitis has been closely related to bronchial asthma. We investigated clinical characteristics of chronic sinusitis including the extent of disease, radiographic findings, subjective sinusitis symptoms, and postoperative outcome in sinusitis patients with asthma, and compared them with those without asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 sinusitis patients with asthma and 103 patients without asthma who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery were evaluated. We compared the following 7 parameters between asthma and non-asthma group presence of allergy, previous sinus surgery, degree of preoperative polyposis, preoperative disease extent scored with OMU CT findings, severity of sinusitis symptoms, patients' sinusitis symptom changes, and postoperative outcome. Postoperative outcome was evaluated by examining the endoscopic findings in 99 patients (asthma group '. 21, non-asthma group 78) who were followed up for more than 6 months. Patients sinusitis symptom changes were also compared before and after surgery in each group. RESULTS: Patients of both groups showed improvement of sinusitis symptoms after surgery. There were no statistical differences between the two groups on the presence of allergy, previous sinus surgery, preoperative polyposis, preoperative OMU CT scores, and severity of sinusitis symptoms. However, asthma group showed poorer postoperative outcome, which was statistically significant, compared with those without asthma. CONCLUSION: Chronic sinusitis with asthma is characterized by poorer postoperative outcome, but there were no differences in the extent of preoperative diseases, allergy, or previous sinus surgery between the two groups. Adequate preoperative management, close attention during surgery and careful endoscopic postsurgical follow-ups would be necessary for patients with chronic sinusitis with asthma.