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The endoscopic intranasal appearance of 211 adult patients with cystic fibrosis was studied. The prevalence of nasal polyps in this study was 37%. The commonest nasal symptoms were discharge, headache and obstruction. Intranasal endoscopy usually demonstrated mucosal oedema and thin, clear discharge. The prevalence of allergy, as diagnosed by skin prick testing, was almost twice that of the general population. Tympanometry showed that middle ear effusion was uncommon in these patients.

This study identified the ENT symptoms of 66 HIV infected children over an 8 year period (1986-1993) at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. The incidence, nature and age of onset of ENT symptoms were investigated; 91% of the children had ENT symptoms, the most common being cervical lymphadenopathy, oro-oesophageal candidiasis and otitis media. The HIV infected children suffered from the common ENT diseases of childhood. They also presented with specific conditions such as diffuse parotid swelling. Therefore, their clinical features differed from HIV infected adults as well as non-infected children. An increasing incidence of paediatric HIV infection was demonstrated by the study. Most were due to vertical transmission. ENT surgeons are likely to see more HIV infected children in future, either with the usual ENT diseases of childhood (to which they seem more susceptible) or with HIV-specific conditions. Although the diagnosis of HIV may be known, the ENT condition could be the initial presentation suggestive of immunodeficiency.

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