NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis is much higher among people who carry a single cystic fibrosis mutation than in the general population, according to a new report. Among obligate CF carriers, 36% had chronic rhinosinusitis, whereas previous reports have estimated the rate in the general population to be just 13% to 14%.
“Carrying one mutation in the CF gene doesn’t cause you to get CF, but it may predispose you to some of the features of the disease,” senior author Dr. Garry R. Cutting, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told Reuters Health.
In a previous study, “we looked at the prevalence of CF gene mutations among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and found an increased rate of such mutations in this group,” Dr. Cutting noted. “The current study represents the reverse: we looked for chronic rhinosinusitis among CF carriers.”
The study, in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, involved a total of 147 obligate CF carriers -- each being a parent of a CF patient -- who completed a sinus disease questionnaire.
As noted, 53 patients (36%) had questionnaire results indicating chronic rhinosinusitis.
Clinical evaluation of a small subgroup of patients revealed that the questionnaire was 100% sensitive and 56% specific for predicting physician-diagnosed chronic rhinosinusitis, which is comparable to survey methods used to estimate chronic rhinosinusitis prevalence in the general population.
In terms of clinical implications, Dr. Cutting said that various agents have been devised for CF patients to “augment the function of the affected CF protein.” Given the current findings, “these therapies may be of value to CF carriers with chronic rhinosinusitis as well.”
Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2005;131:237-240. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:DNA Mutational Analysis: Genetic Techniques: Investigative Techniques: Sequence Analysis: Sequence Analysis, DNA: Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and EquipmentCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
