title: Relationship between sputum eosinophilia and sinus disease in patients with eosinophilic bronchitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sinus disease is commonly seen in patients with asthma, and several studies have been published describing the relationship between sinus disease and the inflammation seen in the sputum of asthmatic subjects. In this article, we expand on this knowledge by studying patients with eosinophilic bronchitis with and without asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe the relationship between the severity of sinus disease determined by the Lund-Mackay score and sputum eosinophilia. Comparisons with blood eosinophil and total immunoglobulin (IgE) measurements are made.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have shown that the severity of sinus disease is positively correlated with sputum eosinophil counts, and the site of sinus disease affected the level of eosinophilia. There was a positive correlation between sputum eosinophils and blood eosinophils, but there was no relationship with blood total IgE levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have confirmed that there is a link between upper and lower airway inflammation and that this is not limited to patients with asthma. The process is associated with systemic inflammation as evidenced by increased blood eosinophils but appears to be independent of IgE.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respirology, McMaster University and St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neighbour
authors.forename: Jodi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strychowsky
authors.forename: Sadaf
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Rami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abdelshaheed
authors.forename: Parameswaran
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Doron D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000276:immunology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000502:physiology; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013183:Sputum / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D015848:Interleukin-5; D007073:Immunoglobulin E