Individuals who have bronchiectasis — a chronic lung disease — as well as chronic sinus disease — such as rhinosinusitis — are more likely to test positive for the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mucus samples.
That’s according to the paper, “Association of Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Sputum of Patients With Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis,” published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
In the study, co-author Kunal Jakharia, MD, and his research team investigated the connection between people who have both chronic lung and sinus diseases and their likelihood to have this specific, difficult-to-treat bacteria in their lungs. They utilized the U.S. Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry to analyze health information of more than 1,300 individuals with bronchiectasis. Of those patients, 222 also had chronic rhinosinusitis.
Researchers found that patients who had both conditions were more likely to have sputum that contained Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They did not find connections with Staphylococcus aureus or Haemophilus influenzae — two other common bacteria.
Based on these results, the authors said healthcare professionals should prioritize bacteria testing in people with bronchiectasis and consider an additional diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis.
“This study helps connect what we see in the sinuses with what may be happening in the lungs,” said Dr. Jakharia in a news release. Dr. Jakharia is an assistant professor of pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. “For patients with bronchiectasis, chronic sinus disease may be an important clue that we should look closely for Pseudomonas. Finding this bacteria matters because it can be harder to treat and is linked with more severe lung disease.”
It is possible that treating chronic sinus disease may help ease the bacterial infection and improve outcomes for patients in this subset, the authors wrote, but further research is required.
