Abstract
Objectives:
Although allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a well-recognized entity, few data are published concerning the prevalence of mold sensitization in patients with polypoid chronic rhinosinusitis (PCRS). Our aim was to determine the prevalence of fungal and common aeroallergen sensitization in a sample of adult patients with PCRS at an ear, nose, and throat clinical setting.
Methods:
All adult patients with PCRS who underwent sinus surgery between September 2012 and December 2013 were invited to participate. Prick tests were done with Alternaria alternata (Aa), Cladosporium herbarum (Ch), Aspergillus fumigatus (Af), Curvularia lunata (Cl), Fusarium monilifo (Fm), Dermatophagoydes pteronyssinus (Dp), and grass-pollen extract (extracts Merck). T Student and chi-square tests were determined using SPSS v22, and applied when appropriate. A P value <.05 was considered significant.
Results:
Sixty-three patients were included (60% men), mean age (SD) 45 (15.4) years old. Of the patients, 14.3% had at least 1 positive skin prick test for molds (9.5% for Aa, 4.8% for Ch, 6.3% for Af, 4.8% for Cl and 4.8% for Fm). Forty-percent were allergic to dust mite and 27% to pollen. We failed to detect an association between fungal sensitization and age (P = .838), sex (P = .674), and Dp sensitization (P = .074), but we found a positive association between fungal and grass-pollen sensitization (41.2% vs 4.3%, P < .001).
Conclusions:
Almost one-sixth of our patients were mold sensitized. The routine determination of fungal allergic profile may improve the assessment of patients with PCRS, increasing awareness to AFRS diagnosis.
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