Diagnosing chronic rhinosinusitis: comparing questionnaire-based and clinical-based diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Epidemiology
• Clinical Diagnosis

Background:

• Current European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps (EP3OS) uses symptomatic and endoscopic criteria for clinical chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) diagnosis.
• Epidemiological studies for CRS typically rely solely on symptom-based definitions.
• This study aimed to assess the correlation between CRS diagnoses derived from questionnaires versus clinical evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the correlation between questionnaire-based and clinical-based diagnoses of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 366 participants of the GA2LEN postal survey for questionnaire-based CRS.
• Conducted clinical interviews and examinations by an otorhinolaryngologist for clinical-based CRS diagnosis.
• Employed logistic regression models and kappa statistics to determine the association between the two diagnostic methods.

Main Results:

• A moderate agreement was observed between questionnaire-based and clinical-based CRS diagnoses.
• Sensitivity was low when comparing questionnaire-based CRS to clinical-based CRS.
• Including self-reported CRS and medical history in questionnaire-based diagnosis enhanced agreement and sensitivity while maintaining high specificity.

Conclusions:

• The moderate agreement indicates that questionnaire-based and clinical-based CRS evaluations may not assess the exact same disease entity.
• Adjustments to current methods are necessary to improve the correlation between questionnaire-based and clinical-based CRS diagnoses.
• Self-reported data, when integrated, can enhance the diagnostic accuracy of questionnaire-based CRS assessments.