Asthma strongly associated with chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis

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Allergy. 2011 Nov 4. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02709.x. [Epub ahead of print]Asthma in adults and its association with chronic rhinosinusitis: The GA(2) LEN survey in Europe.Jarvis D, Newson R, Lotvall J, Hastan D, Tomassen P, Keil T, Gjomarkaj M, Forsberg B, Gunnbjornsdottir M, Minov J, Brozek G, Dahlen SE,Toskala E, Kowalski ML, Olze H, Howarth P, Krämer U, Baelum J, Loureiro C, Kasper L, Bousquet PJ, Bousquet J, Bachert C, Fokkens W,Burney P.SourceImperial College, Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health Group and MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, London, UK Krefting Research Institute, University of Goteburg, Goteburg, Sweden Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Upper Airways Research Laboratory, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Charite University Medical Centre, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Berlin, Germany National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology (IBIM), Palermo, Italy Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Umea University, Umea, Sweden Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Institute of Occupational Health of Republic of Macedonia, Skopje, Macedonia Department of Epidemiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA Department of Immunology, Medical University of Lodz, Rheumatology and Allergy Medical, Lodz, Poland Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany Department of Dermatology and Allergy am Biederstein, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark Immunology Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Division of Thoracoscopy and Bronchoscopy, School of Medicine, Krakow, Jagiellonian University Cracow, Cracow, Poland Department of Respiratory Diseases University Hospital, Ho^pital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, Inserm, U1018, Respiratory and Epidemiology team, Villejuif, France.AbstractTo cite this article: Jarvis D, Newson R, Lotvall J, Hastan D, Tomassen P, Keil T, Gjomarkaj M, Forsberg B, Gunnbjornsdottir M, Minov J, Brozek G, Dahlen SE, Toskala E, Kowalski ML, Olze H, Howarth P, Krämer U, Baelum J, Loureiro C, Kasper L, Bousquet PJ, Bousquet J, Bachert C, Fokkens W, Burney P. Asthma in adults and its association with chronic rhinosinusitis: The GA(2) LEN survey in Europe. Allergy 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02709.x ABSTRACT: Background:  The prevalence of asthma and its association with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have not been widely studied in population-based epidemiological surveys. Methods:  The Global Allergy and Asthma Network of Excellence (GA(2) LEN) conducted a postal questionnaire in representative samples of adults living in Europe to assess the presence of asthma and CRS defined by the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps. The prevalence of self-reported current asthma by age group was determined. The association of asthma with CRS in each participating centre was assessed using logistic regression analyses, controlling for age, sex and smoking, and the effect estimates were combined using standard methods of meta-analysis. Results:  Over 52 000 adults aged 18-75 years and living in 19 centres in 12 countries took part. In most centres, and overall, the reported prevalence of asthma was lower in older adults (adjusted OR for 65-74 years compared with 15-24 years: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.63-0.81). In all centres, there was a strong association of asthma with CRS (adjusted OR: 3.47; 95% CI: 3.20-3.76) at all ages. The association with asthma was stronger in those reporting both CRS and allergic rhinitis (adjusted OR: 11.85; 95% CI: 10.57-13.17). CRS in the absence of nasal allergies was positively associated with late-onset asthma. Conclusion:  Geographical variation in the prevalence of self-reported asthma was observed across Europe, but overall, self-reported asthma was more common in young adults, women and smokers. In all age groups, men and women, and irrespective of smoking behaviour, asthma was also associated with CRS.