Antecedent sinusitis may be associated with a higher likelihood of developing rheumatic diseases, according to a recent study published by Kronzer et al in RMD Open. In the study, investigators used the Rochester Epidemiology Project to compare the presence of sinusitis among 1,729 patients with rheumatic diseases and 5,187 age-, sex-, and length of prior electronic health record history–matched controls. The investigators found that antecedent sinusitis correlated with a greater risk of antiphospholipid syndrome (odds ratio [OR] = 7.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.8–27.0), Sjögren’s disease (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1–5.3), vasculitis (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1–1.9), and polymyalgia rheumatica (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0–2.0); and acute sinusitis correlated with a greater risk of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.1–3.1). They further noted that patients with sinusitis may be at a 70% increased risk of rheumatic diseases within 5 to 10 years of symptom onset and that those with 7 to 10 diagnostic codes for sinusitis were at an increased risk of developing rheumatic diseases. The new findings may implicate sinus inflammation in the presentation and pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases.
March 21, 2024