Sinus Infections and Autoimmune Disease. What’s the Connection?

Scientists from the Mayo Clinic report the link between sinusitis and rheumatic diseases in a recent publication titled “Association between sinusitis and incident rheumatic diseases: a population-based study.” In their study, they found that the odds of developing rheumatic disease increased by 40% in individuals with previous acute or persistent sinusitis.

These researchers were spurred to look for an association between sinusitis and rheumatic diseases because previous studies have pointed to the link between a variety of autoimmune diseases and respiratory irritants and respiratory diseases.

It’s possible (but untested) that the inflammation seen in sinus infections has a role in the development of rheumatic disease.

Citation:

Kronzer, V. L., et al. (2024). Association between Sinusitis and incident rheumatic diseases: A population-based study. RMD Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003622