Clinical characteristics of chronic rhinosinusitis with asthma

Objective This study was directed at identifying clinical features of chronic rhinosinusitis with asthma, and examining the differences of the postoperative outcomes in asthmatics and nonasthmatics. Study design and setting Twenty-one asthmatic and 77 nonasthmatic patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) were entered into the study. The following six parameters were determined in asthmatic and nonasthmatic groups; the presence of allergy, previous sinus surgery, severity of preoperative rhinosinusitis symptoms, improvements in postoperative rhinosinusitis symptoms, preoperative disease extent, and postoperative endoscopic outcomes. Results Symptom scores improved significantly in both asthmatics and nonasthmatics postoperatively, and asthmatics exhibited significantly worse postoperative endoscopic outcomes compared with nonasthmatics. No difference was found in other parameters between two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed asthma continues to be an independent predictor of success. Conclusions The present study found that chronic rhinosinusitis in asthmatics showed worse postoperative outcomes than in nonasthmatics, and every attempt should be made for the improvement of surgical results in these patients.