One year after endoscopic sinus surgery in polyposis: asthma, olfaction, and quality-of-life outcomes

GEMA 5.3. Spanish Guideline on the Management of Asthma

The Spanish Guideline on the Management of Asthma, better known by its acronym in Spanish GEMA, has been available for more than 20 years. Twenty-one scientific societies or related groups both from Spain and internationally have participated in the preparation and development of the updated edition of GEMA, which in fact has been currently positioned as the reference guide on asthma in the Spanish language worldwide. Its objective is to prevent and improve the clinical situation of people with asthma by increasing the knowledge of healthcare professionals involved in their care. Its purpose is to convert scientific evidence into simple and easy-to-follow practical recommendations. Therefore, it is not a monograph that brings together all the scientific knowledge about the disease, but rather a brief document with the essentials, designed to be applied quickly in routine clinical practice. The guidelines are necessarily multidisciplinary, developed to be useful and an indispensable tool for physicians of different specialties, as well as nurses and pharmacists. Probably the most outstanding aspects of the guide are the recommendations to: establish the diagnosis of asthma using a sequential algorithm based on objective diagnostic tests; the follow-up of patients, preferably based on the strategy of achieving and maintaining control of the disease; treatment according to the level of severity of asthma, using six steps from least to greatest need of pharmaceutical drugs, and the treatment algorithm for the indication of biologics in patients with severe uncontrolled asthma based on phenotypes. And now, in addition to that, there is a novelty for easy use and follow-up through a computer application based on the chatbot-type conversational artificial intelligence (ia-GEMA).

Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps: Quality of Life in the Biologics Era

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) affects up to 12% of the general population and is traditionally divided into two main phenotypic subsets, based on the presence of nasal polyps (CRSwNP) or their absence. It is well-established that many patients with CRSwNP report poor quality of life (QoL), which is further compromised by comorbidities (eg, asthma, bronchiectasis, aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease). Chronic rhinosinusitis CRS with nasal polyps is managed with a combination of medical therapy and surgical interventions, and biologics are emerging as a promising new treatment option for patients with inadequate response to the standard of care. A range of patient-reported outcome measures have been used to assess QoL for patients with CRSwNP in clinical trials, including disease-specific questionnaires (eg, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22) and generic ones (eg, Short Form-36). Significantly impaired QoL has been identified as a criterion for the indication to use biologics in patients with CRSwNP. This review summarizes clinical evidence (2010-2021) on QoL outcomes with currently available treatments for CRSwNP and assesses the improvement in QoL after biologic treatments, especially for patients with comorbidities reported in interventional studies (randomized controlled trials and real-world experience).

International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: rhinosinusitis 2021

I.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR-RS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICAR-RS-2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidence-based findings of the document.

METHODS

ICAR-RS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidence-based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidence-based reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary.

RESULTS

ICAR-RS-2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidence-based management algorithm is provided.

CONCLUSION

This ICAR-RS-2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidence-based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS.

Targeted Molecular Therapies in Allergy and Rhinology

Biologic agents, monoclonal antibodies that target highly-specific molecular pathways of inflammation, are becoming integrated into care pathways for multiple disorders that are relevant in otolaryngology and allergy. These conditions share common inflammatory mechanisms of so-called Type 2 inflammation with dysregulation of immunoglobulin E production and eosinophil and mast cell degranulation leading to tissue damage. Biologic agents are now available for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), asthma, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), atopic dermatitis (AD), and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). This paper summarizes the diagnosis and management of these conditions and critically reviews the clinical trial data that has led to regulatory approval of biologic agents for these conditions.

The effects of endoscopic sinus surgery on pulmonary function in chronic rhinosinusitis patients with asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Evidences showed improvements in clinical asthma outcomes following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients with asthma. However, pulmonary function benefits have remained controversial up to date. The goal of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of ESS on pulmonary function tests in CRS patients with asthma.

METHODS

Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched up to March 2018 to obtain relevant studies. The researches that evaluated the effects of ESS on pulmonary function in CRS patients with asthma and had at least one parameter of pulmonary function tests before and after surgery were included in the study.

RESULTS

A total of 13 studies containing 421 patients satisfied the eligibility after judgment by 2 reviewers. These included three RCTs and ten case series. The heterogeneity in parameters of spirometry and difference in data presented forms across studies along with the lack of standard deviation of some data make it difficult to synthesize results. If data were unavailable for meta-analyses, descriptive statistics were used to report study outcomes. After qualitative and quantitative analysis, the weighted mean change after ESS in forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF25-75%) was 0.21 L/s (95% CI 0.12-0.30); eight of ten studies supported that forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) improved after ESS; five of six studies supported that peak expiratory flow (PEF) improved after ESS. However, strength of evidence is generally low to insufficient.

CONCLUSION

A generally low-quality evidence supports the association between ESS and improvements in FEF25-75%, FEV1 and PEF. A few studies met inclusion criteria for meta-analysis, which indicates the need for more high-quality studies to determine the effect of ESS.

Peak nasal inspiratory flow correlates with quality of life in functional endoscopic sinus surgery

OBJECTIVES

Whilst nasal function and airflow improve subjectively following functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), a clinically useful and objective tool for quantifying such improvement is lacking. The peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) metre offers convenient and objective measures of nasal patency. However, it has not yet been established whether changes in PNIF after surgery reflect changes in subjective disease burden. In this study we aimed to determine whether changes in PNIF correlate with commonly used subjective symptom and quality of life outcome measures following FESS for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

DESIGN

Prospective cohort.

SETTING

Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-seven patients undergoing FESS for CRS, with or without polyps (21 male, mean age 48.8).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

PNIF, "SNOT-22", "NOSE" and "VAS" questionnaires were performed before and after surgery.

RESULTS

In all patients, there was a strong negative correlation between change in PNIF and change in "SNOT-22" score following surgery (Pearson r=-.64, P<.0001). Strong negative correlations were also seen during subgroup analysis of patients with and without polyps (r=-.57, P=.006 and r=-.67, P=.005, respectively). Change in PNIF correlated significantly with change in "NOSE" score following surgery in all patients and those without polyps (r=-.54, P=.0005 and r=-.68, P=.003). There were no significant correlations between PNIF and VAS (nasal obstruction).

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in PNIF after FESS appear to best reflect improvements in quality of life in CRS as measured using the "SNOT-22" questionnaire.

Asthma quality of life and control after sinus surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) often have comorbid asthma. Prior studies have not examined the impact of CRS or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) upon asthma quality of life (QOL) and asthma control using validated outcome metrics.

METHODS

Patients with CRS, both with and without polyps, and comorbid asthma completed the Mini Asthma QOL Questionnaire (miniAQLQ) and Asthma Control Test (ACT) at baseline and 6 months postoperatively as part of a multi-institutional, prospective study.

RESULTS

Baseline metrics were available on 86 patients. Patients undergoing ESS reported improved miniAQLQ [0.5 (SD ±1.1), 95% CI: 0.2-0.7; P = 0.002] and ACT scores [1.3 (±4.1), 95% CI: 0.2-2.4; P = 0.025]. Uncontrolled baseline asthma (ACT < 20) was present in 51% of patients undergoing ESS. In uncontrolled patients, ESS resulted in a minimal clinically important difference 57% of the time for miniAQLQ scores (≥0.5 points) and 50% of the time for ACT scores (≥3.0 points). After adjustment with linear regression, baseline miniAQLQ scores were worse in patients with comorbid allergy (P = 0.045) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; P = 0.015). Adjusted baseline ACT scores were worse in patients with COPD (P = 0.004). Covariates associated with changes in miniAQLQ scores after ESS were pre-operative corticosteroid dependency (P = 0.011) and change in total SNOT-22 score (P = 0.010). Covariate associated with significantly less improvement in ACT scores was obstructive sleep apnea (P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with CRS often present with uncontrolled asthma, and ESS improves both miniAQLQ and ACT. Approximately half of patients with uncontrolled asthma improve after ESS, yet there are few CRS-specific factors associated with asthma QOL or control or ESS outcomes.

Nasal polyps in patients with asthma: prevalence, impact, and management challenges

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) often have coexisting asthma under the concept of “United Airway Disease”, being the combination of both diseases, which is one of the most challenging phenotypes to treat. Although clinicians have recognized this difficult-to-treat phenotype for many years, it remained poorly characterized. There is increasing epidemiological evidence linking chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma, but a good understanding of the pathophysiology and the combined management is still lacking. Bronchial asthma is more prevalent in patients who suffer chronic rhinosinusitis, while asthmatic patients have a greater prevalence of CRSwNP than patients without asthma. The effect of CRSwNP treatment, whether medical or surgical, in asthma is today less controversial after some studies have shown improvement of asthma after medical and/or surgical treatment of CRSwNP. However, direct comparisons between surgical and medical treatments are limited. Further randomized clinical trials are, however, still needed to better understand the management when both asthma and CRSwNP occur together. This review aims at summarizing the prevalence, impact, and management challenges regarding both asthma and CRSwNP.

Management of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and coexisting asthma: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and asthma are strongly associated, and patients suffering from both diseases are often difficult to treat. However, no guidelines about the management of patients with CRS and coexisting asthma exist.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the management of CRSwNP and coexisting asthma.

METHODS

We systematically searched electronic databases and included clinical trials in which the clinical outcomes after medical or surgical treatment of patients with CRSwNP and asthma were assessed. The strength of the evidence for each outcome was graded on the basis of study quality and consistency in findings.

RESULTS

We included seven trials in which the effect of montelukast, omalizumab, erythromycin, and functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) were studied in 317 adults with CRSwNP and asthma. All the interventions improved the majority of subjective and objective nasal outcomes significantly. However, few studies found significant effects on pulmonary function tests. The strength of the evidence was low overall.

CONCLUSION

Both FESS and medical interventions with systemic anti-inflammatory drugs improved nasal outcomes, although their efficacy in relation to the lower airways remains unclear. A low number of studies met inclusion criteria for this systematic review, which emphasizes the need for high-quality trials to explore the treatment of patients with CRSwNP and coexisting asthma.

Prognosis of postviral olfactory loss: follow-up study for longer than one year

BACKGROUND

There have been very few studies on the prognosis of postviral olfactory dysfunction. The aim of the study was to evaluate its long-term prognosis and factors influencing the prognosis.

METHODS

This study included patients who were diagnosed with postviral olfactory dysfunction at least one year ago in a Smell and Taste Clinic and whose telephone interviews were available. Their medical records were reviewed, and they were asked to score their subjective olfactory function on a 100-point scale by telephone interview.

RESULTS

A total of 63 patients and 20 normal controls without nasal pathology were included. The mean age of the patients was 49.5 years, and 19 males and 44 females were included. The mean length of follow-up was 33.4 months. Olfactory dysfunction was subjectively improved in 85.7% of the patients. The recovery rate to subjective normosmia was 31.7%. The mean symptom scores for smell significantly increased in comparison with baseline from 25.6 to 69.0. Among the 25 patients (37.7%) who underwent follow-up butanol threshold test (BTT), the score improved from 4.6 to 7.3. Olfactory improvement was more frequently reported by females (p = .003) and in patients with follow-up duration for longer than 2 years (p = .043).

CONCLUSIONS

Follow-up of postviral olfactory loss revealed that over 80% of the patients reported subjective recovery after one year. The more favorable prognosis was associated with longer follow-up duration and female gender.

Rhinosinusitis and asthma: a very long engagement

Upper and lower airways may be considered as a unique entity, interested by coexisting inflammatory processes that share common etiopathogenic mechanisms. Previous studies have strongly demonstrated a relationship between rhinosinusitis and asthma. This has led to the introduction of the concept of “United Airways”, which has also been included in the WHO document Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA); this concept has important consequences also on the treatment of these disorders. To better summarize the evident connection between upper and lower airway disease we decided to describe it as a multilayered construction, each level pointing out more deeply the relationship between these entities.

Assessment of quality-of-life outcomes after surgery for nasal polyposis with the DyNaChron questionnaire

This prospective study assesses outcomes at 6 weeks and 7 months after radical ethmoid surgery in 65 patients with nasal polyposis using a new and detailed instrument, the DyNaChron questionnaire, which was filled in the day prior to surgery and at 6 weeks and 7 months after surgery at follow-up visits. Before surgery, the leading bothersome symptoms were olfactory disturbances (7.74 ± 2.81) and nasal obstruction (6.66 ± 2.28). After surgery (6th week and 7th month), there was a clear improvement of all symptoms including nasal obstruction, olfactory disturbances, anterior rhinorrhea, postnasal discharge, facial pain/headache and cough in comparison to baseline (p < 0.0001). Nasal obstruction was the most improved symptom (effect size of 2.24). At 7th post-operative month, the sense of smell continued to improve slightly. By contrast, the postnasal discharge score that was significantly improved at 6th post-operative week tended to worsen at 7 months (p = 0.0045). Before surgery, strong psychosocial impacts were observed in association with nasal obstruction and anterior rhinorrhea. The physical impacts of each symptom were proportionally correlated to the symptom score before and after surgery. The quality of life (QOL) related to each symptom was clearly better at 6 weeks and remained steady at 7 months after surgery. In conclusion, olfactory disorders and postnasal rhinorrhea were the main remaining symptoms after sinus surgery despite a global improvement of symptoms and quality of life. The earlier time point to stabilize QOL outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery could be suggested at 6 weeks after surgery.

Topical cocaine vs adrenaline in endoscopic sinus surgery: a blinded randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND

Adequate surgical field visualization is among the most important factors in preventing complications in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of topical cocaine vs adrenaline on surgical field visualization and intraoperative bleeding during FESS.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 37 patients that underwent FESS for chronic rhinosinusitis were randomized to the side of the nose that received adrenaline or cocaine-soaked patties, and the side that was operated first. The surgeon evaluating the bleeding was blinded to the vasoconstrictor allocation. At the commencement of surgery and at regular 15-minute intervals, the operating surgeon evaluated the extent of bleeding in the operative field according to a validated scale. At each assessment, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate, and end tidal CO2 were also recorded. At the end of each side, total blood loss was measured.

RESULTS

There was no difference in the mean surgical field scores between the adrenaline and cocaine sides (2.04 ± 0.75 vs 2.17 ± 0.7, p = 0.24), nor the total blood loss (p = 0.43). On the cocaine side, there was a correlation between surgical field grade and duration of surgery (p < 0.05) as well as blood loss (p < 0.05) and MAP (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

There is no difference in the quality of the surgical field achieved through the use of topical cocaine or adrenaline during FESS. Either of these agents can be effectively used for topical decongestion at the onset of surgery.

Sinusitis, Rhinitis, Asthma, and the Single Airway Hypothesis

The one airway, one disease hypothesis proposes that the upper and lower airways share the same physiology and histomorphology. Epidemiological clinical studies support a link between rhinosinusitis and asthma. The relationship can occur in both directions, with nasal allergen challenge leading to inflammatory changes in the lower airway and bronchoprovocation studies of the lower airway leading to inflammatory changes in the upper airway. In addition, both similarities and differences exist in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps and asthma. The mechanism for the connection between the upper and lower airways is a matter of great debate. It has been proposed that inflammatory changes in the lower airway may lead to systemic inflammatory effects that play a role in increased bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Similarly, lower airway inflammatory changes may affect nasal airway patency via systemic effects. Moreover, nasopharyngeal-bronchial reflexes may play a non-immunologic role in the interaction between the lower and upper airways. An example of the connection between the upper and lower airways is found in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease whereby leukotrienes play a role in the pathology of chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps and asthma. It is also been observed that the treatment of asthma is hindered by untreated rhinosinusitis.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of asthma outcomes following endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis

BACKGROUND

Patients suffering from both chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and asthma demonstrate improved asthma outcomes when upper airway inflammation is controlled with medications. It is unclear if similar benefits exist when the upper airway is treated surgically. This study presents a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) on asthma outcomes.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases were searched to identify studies examining asthma outcomes in patients with CRS following ESS. Included studies involved a cohort of at least 5 patients and reported at least 1 postoperative asthma outcome.

RESULTS

Twenty-two studies involving a total of 891 patients were identified. Mean follow-up across all studies was 26.4 months. Patients reported improved overall asthma control in 76.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71.9% to 80.3%) of cases. The frequency of asthma attacks decreased in 84.8% (95% CI, 76.6% to 93.0%) of patients and the number of hospitalizations decreased in 64.4% (95% CI, 53.3% to 75.6%). Decreased use of oral corticosteroids was seen in 72.8% (95% CI, 67.5% to 78.1%) of patients; inhaled corticosteroid use decreased in 28.5% (95% CI, 22.6% to 34.5%) and bronchodilator use decreased in 36.3% (95% CI, 28.9% to 43.7%) of patients. Mean improvement in predicted forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1 ) was 1.62%, but was not statistically significant (p = 0.877).

CONCLUSION

ESS in patients with concomitant bronchial asthma improves clinical asthma outcome measures, but not lung function testing. Difficulty conducting controlled clinical trials of ESS limits the strength of conclusions which can be reached.

Nasal polyposis: an inflammatory condition requiring effective anti-inflammatory treatment

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Recent literature in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) has focussed on inflammatory mechanisms underlying the disease. Endotyping the histopathological features of the disease, rather than simple clinical phenotypes, reflects a change in our understanding of the disease and approach to management. This is paralleled by renewed evidence for the need for wide postsurgical access and topical anti-inflammatory therapy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent research into patterns of dysfunction in innate immunity suggests a crucial role of respiratory epithelium in mediating the inflammatory response. Elevated interleukins, IL-25 and IL-33, from sinus mucosa in CRSwNP and their interaction via innate lymphoid cells may represent the link between the host-environment interface and T-helper 2 dominated inflammation that characterizes CRSwNP. While thorough immunological profiling of CRSwNP is not routinely available, classification of CRS as eosinophilic (ECRS) or noneosinophilic is practical and correlates with disease severity and prognosis. The practice and utility of endoscopic sinus surgery to create a single neosinus for topical corticosteroid delivery is a logical conclusion founded on the inflammatory basis of CRSwNP/ECRS.

SUMMARY

There is mounting evidence for CRSwNP as a predominantly inflammatory disease. Even simple histopathological classification on the basis of degrees of tissue eosinophilia reflects the underlying pathogenic mechanisms with diagnostic and prognostic implications. Optimal treatment involves topical anti-inflammatory therapy delivered locally via a wide, postsurgical corridor.