Shillong: According to a study, those with sinusitis, a common inflammatory ailment, may have a 40% chance of being diagnosed with rheumatic disease later on, especially in the five to ten years before symptoms appear.Inflammation of the sinus lining—the tiny, air-filled chambers behind the cheekbones and forehead—is referred to as sinusitis.
A history of sinusitis was linked to a 40% increased chance of receiving a new diagnosis of rheumatic illness, according to research from the Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
The highest correlation was shown for systemic autoimmune rheumatic disorders, including Sjogren’s syndrome, which carries a risk more than twice that of normal, and antiphospholipid syndrome, which increases risk seven times.
Sjogren’s disease impacts the body’s ability to produce fluids like tears and spit, whereas antiphospholipid syndrome is a blood clotting issue. The results, which were published in the open access journal RMD Open, also demonstrated an 18% increased incidence of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (symptoms but no detectable antibodies).
According to the researchers, “all of these data suggest a role for sinus inflammation in the presentation, and potentially pathogenesis, of rheumatic disease.”They said, “Since sinusitis is linked to accelerated artery hardening, adding extra weight to its potential inflammatory effects, bacterial pathogens, such as those involved in sinusitis, might have a role in rheumatic disease.”
Among the 1,729 adults in the study sample were those who had recently received a diagnosis of either vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation), which includes giant cell arteritis (temporal artery inflammation) and polymyalgia rheumatica (muscle pain and stiffness), or a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid syndrome, and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Based on age at diagnosis and sex, each of these patients (average age 63; two thirds women) was matched with three individuals (5187 total) who did not have rheumatic illness.The findings indicated that in the five to ten years prior to the beginning of symptoms, the risk was 70% greater. The danger was also raised by the frequency of sinusitis episodes. Those who reported seven or more, for instance, had over five times the likelihood of receiving a systemic autoimmune disease diagnosis, nearly nine times the likelihood of receiving a Sjogren’s syndrome diagnosis, and twice the likelihood of receiving a vasculitis diagnosis.
However, the group stated that “since this is an observational study, no firm conclusions about the causes can be made.” Furthermore, it is impossible to rule out reverse causation, in which rheumatic disorders actually raise the risk of sinusitis.
+ There are no comments
Add yours