Background/Objective: Previous studies on the association between chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and allergic rhinitis (AR) have mostly focused on the general population, and much less on patients with CRS requiring surgical treatment. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of perennial and seasonal AR (PAR and SAR, respectively) among CRS patients in whom it was necessary to apply surgical treatment, including those with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and those without (CRSsNP).
Methods: A three-year retrospective study from a single center included CRS patients with indications for surgical treatment. The patients were not previously treated surgically. Several clinical parameters were considered: frequency of AR, PAR, SAR, SAR+PAR, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Total serum IgE, percentage of eosinophils in peripheral blood, and Lund–Mackay computed tomography (CT) score (LMS) were also determined. Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationships among the clinical parameters, while multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine their independent associations with the outcome and to identify the best independent predictor.
Results: A total of 155 patients with CRS were considered. Over 70% were patients with CRSwNP. AR was significantly more prevalent in patients with CRSwNP (
p = 0.049), with PAR being the more common form (
p = 0.035). Also, GERD and asthma were more common in CRSwNP (
p = 0.01 and
p = 0.001, respectively). The strongest correlation was found between total serum IgE and percentage of eosinophils (rho = 0.776;
p < 0.001), then between percentage of eosinophils and LMS (rho = 0.760;
p < 0.001), as well as between total IgE and LMS (rho = 0.695;
p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis identified LMS as the only independent statistically significant predictor for CRSwNP (OR = 1.381,
p < 0.001) among all numerical parameters.
Conclusions: The results suggest a better association between PAR and CRS, especially with CRSwNP. Asthma and GERD are also highly associated, primarily with CRSwNP. LMS is the best independent predictor for the presence of CRSwNP.
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