The Investigation of Frequency of Atopy and Sinusitis in Asthma Patients in Erzurum

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Our study investigated the frequency of atopy and sinusitis in asthmatic patients in Erzurum, Turkey. The study was conducted on 100 patients with asthma who had been treated at the Chest Disease Polyclinic between 2009 and 2010. The patients underwent pulmonary function and skin prick tests, and were evaluated for sinusitis at the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic. Forty-five percent of the cases were skin test-positive. Pollens were the allergens with the highest sensitivity (26%), followed by sensitivity to house dust mites, feathers and epithelium, and fungus at rates of 23%, 9%, and 8%, respectively. The severity of asthma appeared to increase as the number of allergens increased (p = 0.005). Further, an increase occurred in the frequency of atopy (p = 0.003) and the severity of asthma (p = 0.0049) parallel to total IgE positivity. Sinusitis was diagnosed in 43% of the asthmatic patients and in 60% of the cases with atopic asthma (p = 0.002).Atopy and sinusitis are common in asthmatic patients. Therefore, individuals with asthma should be carefully evaluated for atopy and sinusitis.