Background: Treatment of patents with cystic fibrosis (CF) is primarily directed at the lungs. However, there is a growing feeling that the status of the sinuses may have a profound influence on the status of the lungs in these patients. A number of investigators have demonstrated a relationship among coexisting rhinitis, sinusitis, other upper airway conditions, and lung disease. Several studies have shown that treatment and resolution of sinusitis results in an improvement in a number of pulmonary conditions. We hypothesize that pulmonary function test scores will be lower in patients with CF with more severe sinusitis.
Methods: Consecutive CF patients were asked to complete a sinus-specific quality-of-life instrument, the 16-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-16), and these scores, were compared to FEV, scores.
Results: Univariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between SNOT-16 and FEV1 in patients under the age of 12. There was a trend toward significance in the older children and evaluation of the raw data shows that children with the highest FEV, had the lowest SNOT-16.
Conclusion: This study indicates that the severity of sinus disease correlates with the severity of pulmonary disease in CF patients under the age of 12. We plan to use the SNOT-16 to assess sinus interventions on pulmonary status.