Clinical survey and analysis of Chinese patients with family history of nasal polyposis.

CONCLUSION

Nasal polyposis (NP) is frequently found to run in families. Earlier onset of the condition strongly suggested the genetic basis for the development of NP and implied that it might be a genetic disease involving multiple genes.

OBJECTIVE

The etiology and pathogenesis of NP remain largely unknown, although it is assumed to be associated with allergic reaction and infection. The reported familial cases suggested hereditary factors existing in NP. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a hereditary factor could be implicated in NP.

METHODS

A total of 418 NP patients admitted to our department were questioned concerning the existence of familial history (parents, siblings or children) and other accompanying diseases.

RESULTS

In all, 253 cases were successfully followed up. Among these, 44 cases (17.4%) were confirmed to have a familial history of NP, most (59.1%) of which had two immediate family members with a positive family history, with the distribution significantly greater among first-degree and second-degree relatives. Patients with familial NP reported an earlier onset (mean age = 27.7 years) than the sporadic group (mean age = 32.7 years, t = 2.133, p < 0.05). No statistical significance was found when both groups were associated with fungal and allergic diseases.