Authors say reductions in symptom severity are due to clinical practice and not anatomical variation
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — During the past five years, there has been a marked reduction in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) severity, according to a study published online June 17 in Biomedical Reports.
Jun Wang, from The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University in Taiyuan, China, and colleagues investigated changes in CRS characteristics over five years in an effort to understand the impact of clinical advancements on disease management. The retrospective analysis included 120 patients diagnosed with CRS in 2017 and 2023.
The researchers observed a significant reduction in Lund‑Mackay scores in 2023 versus 2017, indicating decreased sinonasal inflammation severity. The biggest improvements were seen in the osteomeatal complex (OMC) and frontal sinuses, with asymmetrical changes between the left and right sides. Greater reductions in inflammation were seen for the left OMC and frontal sinus, while the right side showed less pronounced improvements. There was a shift from diffuse to localized patterns of mucosal thickening, with reduced submucosal remodeling and fewer signs of chronic osteitis observed in 2023 versus 2017. There were no changes noted in anatomical variations, such as middle turbinate pneumatization and nasal septum deviation, over time, indicating the observed reduction in disease severity may be tied to external factors such as earlier detection or evolving clinical practice.
“Further prospective studies integrating advanced imaging and molecular techniques are needed to improve understanding of these time trends and refine diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in CRS care,” the authors write.
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