(FOX 5/KUSI) — A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System found a distinct pattern of chronic respiratory illness in veterans who have been exposed to certain airborne toxins.
Researchers hoped the study showed potential therapeutic targets for toxin-related chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a subtype of the disease for which no treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently exist.
According to the UCSD-led study, sinus samples taken from veterans who were exposed to military burn pits and other deployment-related toxins showed more mast cells compared to people with CRS but who who were not exposed to airborne toxins…