Passive smoking raises sinus risk--study

The study reveals that people having past history of chronic rhinosinusitis are the most affected by second-hand smoking.

"If you've had a history of chronic rhinosinusitis or if you have sensitive nasal passages and sinuses and you're vulnerable, then definitely, absolutely you should avoid second-hand smoke," Dr. C. Martin Tammemagi of Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario, who helped conduct the new study was quoted by Reuters Health as saying.

Cigarette smoke destroys cilia, the delicate hairy structures resent in the sinus membrane, leading to the disorder.

It could also hamper the delicate linings of the mucous membrane, causing it to swell and create discomfort in the sinus region.

Details of the study
To reach this conclusion, the researchers looked at 306 non smokers who had developed rhinosinusitis and 306 healthy non-smoking adults.

The individuals in the study group were analyzed for their exposure to cigarette smoke at work places, home and public places.

Revelations of the study
At least nine percent of the healthy non-smokers and 13 percent of the affected ones were exposed to passive smoking at home while seven percent of the unaffected persons and 19 percent of the patients were inhaling smoke at work, revealed the study.

Around 84 percent of the controls and 90 percent of the patinets were exposed to passive smoking in public places whereas another 28 percent of the healthy ones and 57 percent patients inhaled smoke at private parties and functions.

On an average, second-hand smoking accounted for at least 40 percent of all the affected cases.

"People get the impression that government agencies, public health agencies are trying to suppress the public's exposure to second-hand smoke," the researchers said.

"Our data indicate that over half the people, 53 percent of the controls, had some exposure to second-hand smoke and that was surprisingly high. I was suspecting or hoping that it would be less than that."

Exposure at work increased the risk of suffering from the disease by three times and exposure at social functions almost doubled it, claimed Tammemagi and his colleagues.

The risk further grew higher with the number of more laces visited by the person, doubling for every venue.

The study has been published in the journal Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.