Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (AECRS) with Orbital Complications in an Atrophic Rhinitis Patient: A Mere Co-incidence?

Recurrent Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (AECRS) in a setting of atrophic rhinitis are perplexing clinical situations. While either may act as the primary factor, repeated inflammation in a vessel-poor atrophied tissue is unusual. Progressive mucosal degeneration, vascularity and the effect of bacterial colonization are the factors suggested to play an important role for the pathobiogenesis of the co-existence of the two diseases. Through presentation of a case, a brief attempt has been made here to explore the temporal relationship between rhinosinusitis and atrophic rhinitis; in the process, other noteworthy features of the patient have also been highlighted.