Treating Rhinosinusitis Patients with Nasal Steroids Doesn't Improve Asthma Control

The upper and lower airways are linked closely, and asthma and rhinosinusitis might be part of the same inflammatory disease. However, whether treatment of sinonasal symptoms in patients with asthma improves asthma control is unclear. In a multicenter study, U.S. researchers randomized 151 children (age range, 6–17 years) and 237 adults with uncontrolled asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis to receive daily mometasone nasal spray or placebo for 24 weeks. About 80% of patients were atopic on allergen skin testing. Patients continued their usual asthma medications (70% used inhaled steroids).

At 24 weeks, changes from baseline in asthma control, as measured by the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the Childhood ACT, did not differ between the mometas…