Acoustic Rhinometry in the Role of Sinus Disease and Asthma

Statistically, more than 50% of people with moderate to severe asthma also have chronic sinusitis indicating a direct connection between sinusitis and asthma; many studies show the connection between sinus infections and asthma [3]. One 2006 study showed that when compared with those who only have asthma, people who have both sinusitis and asthma tend to have more severe asthma symptoms, may have more severe asthma flare ups, and are more likely to have disturbed sleep [2]. Although the risk of developing sinusitis may not be the same for everyone with asthma, the same study showed sinusitis coupled with asthma was more common in women than men, and more common in Caucasian patients than any other racial groups [1,2,4]. Gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and smoking may increase the risk of someone with asthma developing sinusitis, too. Studies also suggest the more severe a person’s asthma, the more debilitating the sinusitis, and people with severe asthma and sinusitis seem to make the asthma symptoms harder to control [1,2].