Treatment of aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease with a low salicylate diet: a pilot crossover study.

OBJECTIVE: Aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is comprised of aspirin/acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) sensitivity, bronchial asthma, and nasal polyposis. Treatment of this condition is challenging and may include topical/systemic steroids, endoscopic sinus surgery, and/or aspirin desensitization. STUDY
DESIGN: A prospective crossover pilot study (n = 10) was conducted in which patients were randomized into either of 2 groups with 6 weeks of regular diet (R) or 6 weeks of a low salicylate diet (LS).
SETTING: The study was conducted in a tertiary otolaryngology clinic.
SUBJECTS: Patients with AERD were enrolled in the study.
METHODS: Subjective (Sino-nasal Outcome Test-22 [SNOT-22], Nasal Sinus Symptom Scale [NSSS], and the Asthma Control Questionnaire-7 [ACQ-7]) and objective outcome instruments (Peri-Operative Sinus Evaluation [POSE] and Lund-Kennedy Endoscopic Score [LKES]) were used to evaluate patients at baseline, 6 weeks (at crossover), and 12 weeks.
RESULTS: Wilcoxon rank sum tests demonstrated that patients on the low salicylate diet had improved scores compared to their regular diet when evaluated by 4 of the 5 outcome measures (SNOT-22 pLS = 0.0059, NSSS pLS = 0.0195, LKES pLS = 0.0039, POSE pLS = 0.005).
CONCLUSION: Results of the pilot study indicate that implementation of a low salicylate diet improves the nasal symptoms and nasal endoscopy findings of individuals with AERD. Further research is required to support these findings. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2014.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes