Role of physical parameters of environment in formation of parietal edema and polypous changes in mucous membrane of paranasal sinuses

Parietal edema/edematous syndrome, appearing in isolation in the paranasal sinuses, is the most common radiographic finding. However, the transformation of the syndrome into polypous tissue, the relationship with the formation of clinical forms of rhinosinusitis are poorly understood. Objective. To reveal the relationship of edematous syndrome of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses with meteorological elements (humidity, temperature, precipitation, wind speed). Describe the mechanism of the pathogenetic relationship between increased water vapor pressure and edematous syndrome of paranasal sinuses. Materials and methods. The study included 504 people who performed computed tomography in the units of Saint Petersburg City Hospital No. 40 in 2019, of which 243 were men, 261 were women. Age from 33 to 56 years old, mean age 46.45 ± 1.87. On each of the three selected days of the month, 14 patients were determined (methods of random sampling) who underwent CT of paranasal sinuses. Results. The processes of condensation in the sinuses were evaluated using a computer thermotechnical calculation. A connection was found between the edematous syndrome of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses and meteorological elements (moderate correlation between relative humidity and the presence of edema, a strong correlation between the average wind speed and edema of paranasal sinuses). The mechanism of pathogenetic connection of increased water vapor pressure with edematous syndrome of paranasal sinuses is described. The main types of pathological processes were identified: film condensation with a dew point on the mucosal surface, interstitial condensation with a dew point in the thickness of tissues, and various combinations thereof.