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Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Asthma Patients: Is There Still a Debate?

  • RHINOSINUSITIS (J MULLOL, SECTION EDITOR)
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Abstract

The united airway concept in which upper and lower respiratory conditions are present in one patient requires special consideration. There is some evidence linking chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma, but a good understanding of the pathophysiology and combined management is still lacking, a fact that leads to discussion. Bronchial asthma is more prevalent in patients who suffer chronic rhinosinusitis. On the other hand, patients with asthma have a greater prevalence of rhinosinusitis than patients without asthma. The effect of chronic rhinosinusitis in patients with or without nasal polyps on asthma treatment, whether medical or surgical, is controversial. Some studies show worsening, other trials improvement, and others no effect. Direct comparisons between surgical and medical treatments are few. Most of the current literature available about this intriguing combination does not provide a good level of evidence. Thus, randomized clinical trials should be performed to better understand the management when asthma and CRS occur together. This review aims to summarize the current state of this association regarding the effects of different types of treatment.

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Conflict of Interest

Joaquim Mullol has been a member of national and international scientific advisory boards (consulting) and received fees for lectures and grant support for research projects from ALK-Abelló, Boehringer Ingelheim, Crucell, Esteve, FAES, GlaxoSmithKline, Hartington, Johnson & Johnson, MEDA, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Sanofi-Aventis, and the Uriach Group.

Eduardo Lehrer, Freddy Agredo, and Isam Alobid declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rhinology Unit and Smell Clinic, Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Clínic i Universitari, Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Eduardo Lehrer, Joaquim Mullol & Isam Alobid

  2. Clinical and Experimental Respiratory Immunoallergy, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Eduardo Lehrer, Joaquim Mullol & Isam Alobid

  3. Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo Garcia, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Valle, Colombia

    Freddy Agredo

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  1. Eduardo Lehrer
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  2. Joaquim Mullol
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Correspondence to Isam Alobid.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Rhinosinusitis

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Lehrer, E., Mullol, J., Agredo, F. et al. Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Asthma Patients: Is There Still a Debate?. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 14, 440 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-014-0440-x

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