Current opinion in otolaryngology & head and neck surgery
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Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Feb 2010
ReviewCombined airways: impact of upper airway on lower airway.
This article reviews recent literature on the important relationship between the nose, paranasal sinuses and lungs. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the association between upper and lower airways are discussed. ⋯ Epidemiological data, clinical observations, and immunopathological studies demonstrate an important link between upper and lower airways. An understanding of how the upper airway impacts on lower airway disease has important diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic implications.