Coexisting bronchiectasis in patients with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis is common and linked with more severe disease, according to new research.
“Although there have been several studies involving the association of bronchiectasis with asthma or chronic rhinosinusitis, to date, whether bronchiectasis exists and correlates with asthma-chronic rhinosinusitis patients has not been fully elucidated,” Haiyan Sheng, MD, from the department of respiratory and critical care medicine at Beijing Tongren Hospital at Capital Medical University, and colleagues wrote. “In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence, inflammatory characteristics and clinical implications of bronchiectasis in a prospective cohort of asthma-chronic rhinosinusitis patients.”
Researchers conducted a prospective study that involved 176 patients with both asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (mean age, 53.9 years; 50.6% men). Researchers obtained bronchiectasis diagnosis and severity using thorax high-resolution CT, the Smith radiology scale and the Bhalla scoring system. Then, the researchers analyzed clinical data, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide, peripheral blood eosinophil counts and lung function for correlations with bronchiectasis.
Seventy-two patients with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (40.9%) were diagnosed with bronchiectasis.
