Treating Chronic Sinus Inflammation with a Probiotic Sinus Wash

​Principal Investigators: Drs. Victoria Lee and Omar Perez

Disease: Chronic rhinosinusitis

Research Description:

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common chronic inflammatory sinus disease. Patients suffer from nasal blockage and other issues; loss or decreased sense of smell; facial pain and other reported complications, including poor sleep quality, decreased cognitive function and depression. Standard treatment includes steroids, antibiotics and endoscopic sinus surgery, but these are limited by their own side effects, costs and barriers to healthcare, especially for patients of color.

Lactic acid bacteria, acommon probiotic used in the gut, could be a new treatment option for these patients, as it may help to protect against inflammation, and lactic acid bacteria is depleted in CRS. This clinical trial will determine whether topical probiotic sinus irrigations are effective in difficult-to-treat CRS. If successful, probiotics could provide an inexpensive and safe treatment option that may reduce CRS symptoms and potentially may reduce antibiotic prescriptions and thus antibiotic resistance. The enrollment plan includes specific goals for inclusion of racial and ethnic minority patients to provide important data on the most severe manifestations of CRS in communities of color.

Funding Partners: The Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust

CWR Funding Role: Primary