Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the sinopulmonary outcomes of aspirin desensitization through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources: Embase and OVID Medline databases.
Review methods: A systematic review of published articles on outcomes following aspirin desensitization in any language for relevant articles was performed in February 2019. Outcomes included sinonasal quality-of-life assessment, sense-of-smell scores, FEV-1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), and medication/steroid use.
Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria out of 6055 articles screened. Aspirin desensitization resulted in significant improvement in FEV-1 and reduction in asthma medication/steroid use (P < .05). There was no significant improvement in the sinonasal quality of life of patients who underwent aspirin desensitization (P = .098).
Conclusion: Aspirin desensitization appears to be effective in improving pulmonary outcomes and should be considered in the treatment of patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. However, good-quality studies are still needed to determine the ideal protocol tailored to individual patients.
Keywords: AERD; ATA (aspirin-tolerant asthma); NSAID; SNOT-22; Samter’s triad; Sino-Nasal Outcome Test); acetylsalicylic acid; aspirin-induced asthma; aspirin-tolerant asthma; humans; immunologic; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; oral aspirin desensitization; respiration disorders.