A new study co-authored by Kunal Jakharia, MD, an assistant professor of pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, found that people with bronchiectasis and chronic sinus disease were more likely to have mucus samples that tested positive for a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease that causes permanent widening and damage of the airways. This can lead to mucus buildup, long-term cough, shortness of breath, and repeated lung infections.
Many people with bronchiectasis also have chronic rhinosinusitis, a condition that causes long-term inflammation in the nose and sinuses. Researchers wanted to know whether people with both conditions were more likely to have certain bacteria in their lungs.
Kunal Jakharia, MD
"This study helps connect what we see in the sinuses with what may be happening in the lungs," said Jakharia, who is an expert in bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory disorders. "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."
Researchers reviewed health information from 1,352 people with bronchiectasis in the U.S. Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry. Of those patients, 222 had chronic rhinosinusitis. The study found that patients with both bronchiectasis and chronic rhinosinusitis were more likely to have sputum - mucus coughed up from the lungs - that tested positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This link was not seen with two other common bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus or Haemophilus influenzae.
The findings suggest that doctors caring for patients with bronchiectasis may need to pay closer attention to sinus disease and bacterial testing. More research is needed to understand whether treating chronic sinus disease could help reduce bacterial infection or improve outcomes for people with bronchiectasis.
