DefinePK

Abstract

Background: Fungal infections are increasingly recognized as a potential factor in chronic rhinosinusitis in allergic nasal polyps. Aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of fungal infections in allergic nasal polyps among patients in two tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan located in two different provinces (Karachi is coastal and humid while Lahore is comparatively dry).
Methods: A prospective, comparative study was conducted at PNS SHIFA Hospital Karachi and CMH Lahore. A total of 160 patients with allergic nasal polyps (80 from each center) undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery were included. Tissue samples from nasal polyps were collected during FESS and subjected to histopathological examination and fungal culture. Data on demographics, comorbid history, symptoms, and allergy test results were also collected. The Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence rates of fungal evidence in histopathology report between the two regions.
Results: Fungal infections were detected in 15 (18.75%) patients from PNS SHIFA Karachi and 11 (13.75%) patients from CMH Lahore. Although PNS Shifa Karachi had more cases of fungal sinusitis yet Chi-square test showed no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of fungal infections between the two centers (p = 0.391).
Conclusion: Although fungal infection was more frequently observed in patients from Karachi than Lahore yet the difference was not statistically significant. This suggests a broadly similar prevalence of fungal involvement in allergic nasal polyps across these regions.