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Current controversies: sinus disease and the lower airways
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland, and Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
Pediatric Pulmonology
|February 17, 2001
Summary
The link between upper and lower airway diseases like chronic sinus disease and asthma is unclear. Both conditions require adequate treatment when present concurrently, with more research needed to confirm causality.
Area of Science:
- Respiratory Medicine
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- The relationship between upper and lower airway diseases is complex.
- Chronic sinus disease is frequently observed alongside asthma and chronic cough.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the existing literature on the connection between upper and lower airway conditions.
- To evaluate the evidence linking chronic sinus disease to asthma and cough.
Main Methods:
- Literature review encompassing imaging, microbiology, epidemiology, and animal studies.
- Analysis of treatment effects on concurrent upper and lower airway diseases.
Main Results:
- Current evidence does not definitively prove that upper airway disease directly causes lower airway pathology.
- Allergic rhinitis and symptomatic sinus disease warrant treatment.
- Concurrent upper and lower airway diseases necessitate adequate management of both.
Conclusions:
- Further research, including animal models and randomized controlled trials, is required to elucidate the mechanisms and causal links between upper and lower airway diseases.
- Effective treatment strategies for chronic sinusitis and asthma require further investigation, particularly in children and adults.