UNIFIED AIRWAY DISEASE - OUR EXPERIENCE

Chronic Rhino Sinusitis and Bronchial Asthma have been studied together in many instances as Unified Airway Disease. The Link between the above two diseases has been many a times proved and is supposed to be the base for common treatment and referrals. Chronic Rhinosinusitis may be associated with polyps and mucosal edema , which can well hinder in the management of the same. Various parameters should be considered while commonly treating the conditions which include FEV 1 , FVC , DNE picture and various scores needed to stratify and treat the disease. Our study aims at linking an association between CRS and Bronchial Asthma by looking into treatment outcomes and proving the statistical significance. Results : Atotal of 100 patients , mean age was 34± 9 years consisting of 61% females and 39% males presenting with the symptoms of nasal block, nasal discharge, facial pain and headache and olfactory dysfunction. The prevalence of bronchial asthma was 29%. DNE showed mucosal edema in 92% and polyps in 27%. Among the 29 BApatients 59.3% had polyps and 17.8% without polyps. The absolute eosinophil count was increased in 54% and IgE increased in 47% subjects. In the present study the mean FEV1 before treatment was 1.51Lt and the mean FEV1(%Pred) was 58.83 which improved to mean FEV1 of 1.93 Lt and mean FEV1(%Pred) 77.38 after treatment. The mean FVC before treatment was 2.57 Lt and the mean FVC(%Pred) was 84.03 which improved to mean FVC of 2.79 Lt and mean FVC(%Pred) of 90.17 after treatment of CRS. Statistically significant association was seen between DNE and CRS, before and after FEV1 and FVC. The study also found a significant association between AEC, IgE and bronchial asthma. Objective analysis of the impact of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) on asthma was conducted using pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Multiple readings were tabulated for each patient before and after surgery, and the mean of the various spiro-metric parameters was calculated as a percentage of the predicted value for that patient, considering their height, age, weight, and sex. An improvement was observed in the values of FEV1, FVC in asthmatic patients post-ESS.Conclusion :Treating chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) can significantly enhance asthma control, particularly by alleviating symptoms and improving patients quality of life. Both medical and surgical interventions for CRS effectively manage respiratory symptoms; however, their direct impact on asthma control can vary, highlighting the importance of individualized treatment plans. Further research is essential to fully understand the inter-connected pathophysiology of CRS and asthma and to develop optimal treatment strategies for patients with both conditions.