Effects of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Sinusitis on Asthma Control

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inclusion criteria: General

  1. 18 years of age or older
  2. Women need one of the following: negative pregnancy test or suitable birth control or post-menopausal status
  3. Informed consent and ability to comply with study procedures
  4. Patients must meet inclusion criteria for both asthma and sinus disease.

Inclusion criteria: Asthma

In order to qualify for the 6 week run-in, patients must have poorly controlled asthma as defined by the following criteria:

1. Diagnosis of asthma confirmed either by demonstrating a positive methacholine challenge test (defined as a decrease in FEV1 by at least 20%, following administration of 8mg or less of inhaled methacholine) or a positive bronchodilator response (defined as a change from base line of >12% and at least 200ml in either FEV1 or FVC, following administration of a short-acting, inhaled bronchodilator).

2. Either:

   • Asthma Control Questionnaire score > 1.5 or
   • Use of inhaled rescue ß-agonist >/= 16 puffs per week (excluding use as a pre-medication for exercise; 1 nebulizer treatment = 2 puffs of inhaler) at any time during the past month or
   • >1 hospitalization or unscheduled MD visit in the past 6 months for asthma symptoms or
   • >1 course of oral steroid use in past 6 months or
   • > 2 weeks of systemic steroids in last 6 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Current smokers or those with at least a 10 pack-year smoking history
2. Presence of any concurrent diseases that, in the investigator's opinion, would interfere with participation in the study or that might put the participant at risk