The role of free radicals in chronic rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there is an increased amount of free radical-mediated damage in diseased vs healthy tissue from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. DESIGN Pathophysiologic study. Samples of heathly and diseased tissue were taken from each patient. Lipid peroxides (LPOs) are a by-product of free radical-mediated damage; LPO levels and LPO/protein ratios were determined for each patient. SUBJECTS Consecutive series of 13 human subjects undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery to treat chronic rhinosinusitis. RESULTS The mean LPO/protein ratio for healthy tissue was 3.52 x 10(-5), while that for the diseased tissue was 3.49 x 10(-5). There was no statistically significant difference in the LPO/protein ratio between healthy and diseased tissue (95% confidence interval, -3.00 x 10(-5) to 2.94 x 10(-5)). CONCLUSION Free radical-induced damage, if present, was the same in infected and control tissues in this pilot investigation into the pathophysiologic characteristics of human chronic rhinosinusitis.