Risk factors for nasal polyps, a case-control study

Background: Nasal polyposis is considered one of the most common diseases that cause obstruction of the respiratory tract and impede the patient's quality of life. Aims: The aim is to determine if smoking and body mass index are risk factors for hyperplastic nasal polyps in patients with chronic obstructive rhinitis and allergic rhinitis, and thus conducting early diagnostic investigations to detect the disease early and limit its development. Methods: A cross-sectional case control study was conducted that includes patients who came to Damascus Hospital with complaints of chronic obstruction of the nose and chronic allergies that doesn’t respond to conventional treatments and who met the entry criteria and patients from ENT Division without symptoms of obstructive respiratory tracts . Results: 120 patients were included in the study and were distributed as follows: 60 patients with nasal polyps and 60 patients without nasal polyps. The arithmetic mean of age in the group of cases was 31 ± 16.7 years, while in the controls 32.2 ± 18.3, the BMI value was expressed as the arithmetic mean and it was 30.5 ± 4.16 years, while in the controls 23.6 ± 4.30, and the sex ratio was equal between cases and controls with A statistically non-significant value p = 1.000, while the proportion of smokers in cases was 70%, while in controls 37%, with a statistically significant value p = 0.0003. Conclusion: Smoking and body mass index had a statistically significant relation with the development of nasal polyposis.