Important research questions in allergy and related diseases: 3-chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis -a GA 2 LEN study Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common health care challenges, with significant direct medical costs and severe impact on lower airway disease and general health outcomes. The diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) currently is based on clinical signs, nasal endoscopy and CT scanning, and therapeutic recommendations are focussing on 2 classes of drugs, corticosteroids and antibiotics. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and the factors amplifying mucosal inflammation therefore seems to be crucial for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. In an effort to extend knowledge in this area, the WP 2.7.2 of the GA 2 LEN network of excellence currently collects data and samples of 1000 CRS patients and 250 control subjects. The main objective of this project is to characterize patients with upper airway disease on the basis of clinical parameters, infectious agents, inflammatory mechanisms and remodeling processes. This collaborative research will result in better knowledge on patient phenotypes, pathomechanisms, and subtypes in chronic rhinosinusitis. This review summarizes the state of the art on chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis in different aspects of the disease. It defines potential gaps in the current research, and points to future research perspectives and targets.

We aimed to assess the factors associated with a lack of willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 among adults in Poland three months after the introduction of mass vaccination against COVID-19 in Poland. This cross-sectional study was carried out between 8 and 18 April 2021 on a representative nationwide sample of 1131 inhabitants of Poland aged 18 and over. Almost one-third of adult inhabitants of Poland (30%; 95%CI: 27.4–32.7%) declared a lack of willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19. Females had higher odds of refusing COVID-19 vaccination compared with males (OR = 1.68; 95%CI: 1.25–2.27). The lack of higher education was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with greater odds of refusing the COVID-19 vaccination. Participants living in rural areas compared with those living in the largest cities (over 500,000 inhabitants) had three times higher odds of refusing the COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 3.20; 95%CI: 1.71–6.01). Respondents who declared willingness to vote for one of the right-wing political parties publicly supporting the anti-vaccination movement in Poland had eight times higher odds (OR = 8.01; 95%CI: 3.65–17.60) of refusing the COVID-19 vaccination compared with other groups. Moreover, those who had three children or more, respondents who declared passivity towards participating in religious practices as well as active internet users had significantly higher odds of refusing the COVID-19 vaccination.

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Chronic cough is a common medical problem. The aim of the study was to analyze chronic cough causes in non-smoking patients and to search for demographic factors associated with different cough reasons. The etiology of cough was determined by medical history, diagnostic tests and response to specific treatment. Patients with significant abnormalities in the chest radiograph or spirometry were not included. The study included 131 non-smoking patients; median age 54 years, 77 % female. The most frequent causes of cough were gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (62 %) and upper airway cough syndrome (UACS) (46 %). Cough variant asthma and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB) were diagnosed in 32 (25 %) and 19 (15 %) patients, respectively. Other cough causes were found in 27 patients (21 %). Asthma was a significantly more common cause of chronic cough in women than in men (31 % vs. 3 %, p = 0.005). A reverse relationship was demonstrated for UACS (39 % vs. 67 %, p = 0.01). Patients with chronic cough aged >50 yrs were more likely to be diagnosed with less common cough causes. In conclusion, the most common chronic cough reasons are GERD and UACS. Asthma-related cough is diagnosed more frequently in females, while UACS-related cough is more frequent in males.

IntroductionEfficacy of chronic cough treatment is ambiguous. The aim of the study was to analyze chronic cough alleviation after specific treatment and the relationship between cough etiology and treatment efficacy.Material and methodsA stepwise diagnostic approach was used to diagnose cough etiology in non-smoking adults with chronic cough. In all patients specific treatment was applied. Two different questionnaires – a visual analog scale and a 5-degree scale – were used to assess cough severity before and after 4-6 months of treatment.ResultsA significant correlation between pre-treatment and post-treatment results of both questionnaires was found (Spearman coefficient 0.43, p = 0.0003 and 0.73, p < 0.0001, respectively). Baseline questionnaire analysis revealed no differences in cough severity between patients with different cough causes or multiple cough causes. Although specific treatment resulted in a significant decrease of cough severity in the entire group, only partial improvement was noted. According to the visual analogue scale, a decrease of cough severity by at least 50% was achieved only in 54.4% of patients (37/68). Similarly, satisfactory improvement was noted in only 54.4% (37/68) of patients when using the 5-point scale. There were three sub-groups of patients, in whom no relevant decrease of cough severity was observed despite treatment: patients with 1. three coexisting cough causes, 2. non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis, and 3. chronic idiopathic cough.ConclusionsCough severity does not depend on its etiology. Efficacy of chronic cough treatment in non-smoking patients is only moderate.