Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis in Surgical Outcomes of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Objective: The study aimed to assess a possible association between allergic rhinitis and asthma and surgical management of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Methods: A retrospective study was carried out to review the clinical charts of adult patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery as a surgical treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis. Data regarding clinical symptoms, endoscopic findings, and radiological findings were considered.

Results: The studied population included 74 patients. An average Lund–Mackay score of 10.59 ± 5.427 was identified with no statistically significant difference between the presence or absence of allergic rhinitis or asthma. There was a statistically significant association between the presence of sneezing attacks, nasal itching, and hyposmia before surgery and the presence of asthma previously diagnosed. There is no statistically significant difference between the Lund–Mackay score before the surgery or the presence of nasal polyposis, asthma, or allergic rhinitis. Overall, we verified a reduced prevalence of symptoms after functional endoscopic sinus surgery with no difference between the groups with and without allergic rhinitis or asthma.

Conclusions: There was a statistically significant association between the presence of sneezing attacks, nasal itching, and hyposmia before surgery and the presence of asthma previously diagnosed. We did not find a statistical difference between the degree of regression of nasal polyposis in the sub-samples of patients with allergic rhinitis or asthma. Our findings are also in line with the literature which shows that symptoms improved significantly in both asthmatics and non-asthmatics postoperatively.

Cite this article as: Machado AS, Sousa FAd, Costa JCd, Silva A, Meireles L. Asthma and allergic rhinitis in surgical outcomes of chronic rhinosinusitis. Eur J Rhinol Allergy. 2023;6(1):14-20.