Sinus Computed Tomographic Findings in Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers with Asthma. Analysis of Clinical Indices and Biomarkers

Rationale: When they occur together, sinusitis and asthma are often thought to represent anatomically separate components of the same chronic inflammatory airway disease. Information about the effect of smoking on the interaction between sinusitis and asthma in patients who have both disorders is limited.Objectives: To evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking on the relationship between the presence and severity of sinusitis and selected asthma-related indices in adults who have asthma.Methods: This study included 127 patients with severe asthma and 79 patients with mild to moderate asthma. Clinical data were obtained from all subjects during a 2-day stay at Hokkaido University Hospital (Sapporo, Japan). The Lund-Mackay scoring system was used to assess the anatomic extent and severity of sinusitis as revealed by sinus computed tomographic (CT) images obtained during hospitalization. We examined associations between Lund-Mackay scores and a variety of asthma-related indices and levels of biomarkers in blo...