Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Impact Assessment of Repeated Exposure of Organotypic 3D Bronchial and Nasal Tissue Culture Models to Whole Cigarette Smoke
Published on: February 12, 2015
The role of secondhand smoke in sinusitis: a systematic review
Kevin Hur1, Jonathan Liang, Sandra Y Lin
1Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baltimore, MD.
Background:
The objective of this study was to systematically review existing literature on the association between sinusitis and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure.
Methods:
We performed a literature search encompassing the last 25 years in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Inclusion criteria included English language papers containing original human data with at least 7 subjects. Data was systematically collected on study design, patient demographics, clinical characteristics/outcomes, and level-of-evidence (Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine). Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Two investigators independently reviewed all manuscripts.
Results:
The initial search yielded 116 abstracts, of which 19 articles were included. Thirteen (68.4%) of the 19 articles showed a statistically significant association between sinusitis and SHS. Seven (36.8%) studies specifically evaluated chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with 5 (71.4%) CRS studies demonstrating a significant association between CRS and SHS. Seventeen articles were case-control studies (Level 3b). For characterizing sinusitis, 6 (31.6%) studies included computed tomography (CT) or endoscopy in the diagnostic criteria, with 5 of these studies following rhinosinusitis taskforce guidelines. For determining presence of SHS, all studies used questionnaires and 2 (10.5%) studies also reported serum or urine cotinine levels.
Conclusion:
A majority of the studies (68.4%) included in this systematic review showed a significant association between sinusitis and SHS. Furthermore, 5 (83.3%) of the 6 studies with objective diagnostic criteria (CT, endoscopy) found a significant association between sinusitis and SHS. Further higher-quality studies with objective diagnosis of sinusitis and quantification of SHS exposure should be performed in the future to better evaluate the relationship between sinusitis and SHS.
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease III: Chronic Bronchitis Features
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
Anatomy of Respiratory System I: Upper Respiratory Tract
Nose and nasal cavity
The nose and nasal cavity represent the main external openings of the respiratory tract....
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease II: Emphysema
Asthma I: Introduction
Asthma-II: Pathophysiology and Classification
Additionally, environmental and genetic factors play crucial roles in determining an individual's susceptibility to asthma and the severity of their condition.
Critical processes in asthma pathophysiology include:

