Ramadan Fasting–Associated Improvement in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Symptoms

Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease that markedly impairs quality of life. Although Ramadan fasting (RF) has demonstrated influences on nasal physiology, its effects on sinonasal symptoms in CRS patients remain unclear. Objective This study aimed to investigate the symptom changes of patients with CRS during RF. Methods This prospective study included 42 male CRS patients and 42 healthy male individuals. Participants underwent nasal endoscopic evaluations, and their Lund–Kennedy scores were recorded. Sinonasal symptoms, including nasal congestion, nasal discharge, postnasal drip, olfactory disturbance, facial pain/pressure, headache, and overall symptoms, were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) on day 0, the first and last days of RF (days 1 and 30), and at the study's end (day 210). Participants’ body weights were recorded on days 0 and 210, and the collected data were analyzed statistically. Results The patients’ scores were significantly higher than those of healthy individuals on all study days. Significant differences were observed in nasal congestion, nasal discharge, postnasal drip, olfactory disturbance, and overall symptoms at various study periods. On day 0, scores for nasal congestion, nasal discharge, and postnasal drip were significantly higher than on days 1 and 30. Olfactory disturbance and overall symptoms were also higher on day 0 compared to day 30. On day 210, nasal discharge and postnasal drip scores were significantly higher than on days 1 and 30, while nasal congestion, olfactory disturbance, and overall symptoms were higher than on day 30 ( p < 0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrated that RF was associated with temporary improvement in nasal congestion, nasal discharge, postnasal drip, olfactory disturbance, and overall sinonasal symptoms in CRS patients.