Abstract:

There is a lot of evidence indicating an association between upper and lower airway diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the objective and subjective effects of surgical treatment of pathologies causing nasal obstruction in relation with asthma. Materials and methods: In this study, 17 patients with asthma were divided into 2 groups. Nine patients with septal and/or disorders of turbinate constituted group 1, and 8 patients with nasal polyposis or concomitant septal deviation constituted group 2. Nasal endoscopic examination was performed and paranasal sinus computed tomography was obtained for each patient. Subjects with nasal polyposis, refractory to systemic steroid treatment, were included in the study. Nasal obstruction was treated surgically in all patients. Preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively patients were evaluated in terms of sinonasal symptoms, severity of asthma, and pulmonary function tests. Results: The mean FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second) and FEF25-75 (forced midexpiratory flow rate) rates were improved in both groups postoperatively, but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Severity of asthma and dosage of asthma medications were reduced in all patients and in half of the patients, respectively. Nasal obstruction, headache, and postnasal drip were the most frequent symptoms in both groups. These symptoms improved markedly after the surgery. Conclusion: Sinonasal symptoms and severity of asthma reduce with the surgical treatment of nasal obstructions, which increase the quality of life of patients significantly.

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