Second Hand Smoke and Sinusitis

Secondhand smoke exposure appears to raise chronic sinusitis risk.
The Los Angeles Times (4/19, Dennis) "Booster Shots" blog reported that a paper appearing in Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery suggests "that 40% of chronic rhinosinusitis (commonly called sinusitis) can be attributed to secondhand smoke." The authors of the study "say the smoke might increase the risk of, or worsen, respiratory infections. Or maybe it screws up the body's immune response."
Before reaching those conclusions, researchers at Brock University questioned 306 non-smoking adults with sinusitis and 306 matched controls about their second-hand smoke exposure, according to Reuters (4/20, Harding). "Participants with chronic sinusitis were almost twice as likely as those without sinusitis to report secondhand smoke exposure at social gatherings (51% vs. 28%) and slightly more than twice as likely to report exposure at work (18% vs.7%)," WebMD (4/19, Boyles) reported. They "were also more likely to report exposure at home and in public places, although these associations did not reach statistical significance."
Still, "the association held, the study said, even after the researchers adjusted for such potential contributing factors as exposure to air pollution," HealthDay (4/19, Doheny) reported. "Exactly why isn't known, but it's possible that exposure to secondhand smoke can cause direct irritation to the cells lining the nasal passages," lead author Dr. C. Martin "Tammemagi said. The irritation, in turn, 'can lead to changes in the permeability [leakiness] of the lining so that bacteria or allergens can pass into the tissues and cause irritation and can suppress the immune system locally in several ways, leading to poor defenses,' he explained."