Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in asthmatic patients has a high recurrence rate even after surgery. For this reason, oral steroids are frequently used, but their long-term use may cause side effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate the long-term effects of budesonide nasal irrigation (BNI) in CRSwNP and asthma. An analysis of 33 patients with CRSwNP and well-controlled asthma, who performed BNI for more than 12 months, was performed. We compared oral steroid and antibiotic dosages as well as nasal endoscopy scores before, and every six months after, BNI. The six-month dosages of oral steroids and antibiotics prescribed were significantly decreased at all time points after BNI compared to before BNI. When the dosages were compared at the time point immediately preceding six months, oral steroid intake decreased significantly until 12 months, and antibiotic intake decreased until 6 months. Furthermore, the endoscopic score decreased significantly until 12 months. The nasal symptom questionnaire score also significantly improved after BNI. Therefore, BNI is considered an effective treatment method that can improve subjective symptoms and objective intranasal findings while reducing oral steroid and antibiotic doses after long-term use in patients with CRSwNP accompanied by asthma.
Keywords: asthma; budesonide; nasal lavage; nasal polyp; sinusitis.