Chronic rhinosinusitis is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

Objective: The rationale of the study was to examine the association between chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and COVID-19 hospitalization. Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Cleveland Clinic hospital inpatient and outpatient. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients that were tested for COVID-19 at Cleveland Clinic. The study took place between March 8, 2020 and May 15, 2020. Results: From a total of 23,282 Patients that underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing, 996 COVID-19 negative and 998 COVID-19 positive patients were included in the analysis. COVID-19 positive patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) were at higher risk for hospitalization compared to patients without CRS (39.2% vs 25.7%, p = 0.0486). There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death, After adjustment for covariates, our multivariate analysis showed that patients with chronic rhino-sinusitis (CRS) were approximately 3.46 (OR = 3.19, 95% CI (1.12-10.68)) times more likely to be hospitalized compared to patients that have no CRS. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis are associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization, albeit no increased risk of mortality.