An assessment of sinus quality of life and pulmonary function in children with cystic fibrosis.
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Friedman
Ellen M
EM
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. emfriedm@texaschildrenshospital.org
Stewart
Michael
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*