Chronic rhinosinusitis and mood disturbance.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent condition affecting the upper airway.
• The Chronic Rhinosinusitis Epidemiology Study (CRES) aims to identify factors influencing CRS onset and severity.
• This analysis specifically investigates the association between CRS and psychiatric morbidity, focusing on mood disturbances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if individuals with CRS are more likely to report psychiatric morbidity, particularly mood disturbance, compared to healthy controls.
• To assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression consultations in CRS patients versus controls.
• To explore differences in mental health and emotional well-being between CRS subgroups (CRSsNPs, CRSwNPs) and controls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Chronic Rhinosinusitis Epidemiology Study (CRES), a UK-based cohort.
• Employed questionnaires assessing demographics, medical history, nasal symptoms (SNOT-22), and quality of life (SF-36).
• Compared mental health domains of SF-36 and SNOT-22, and physician consultations for anxiety/depression between CRS patients and healthy controls, including CRS subgroups.

Main Results:

• Patients with CRS reported significantly higher mental health morbidity across SF-36 and SNOT-22 domains compared to controls.
• Consultations for depression or anxiety were more frequent in CRS patients, notably significant for CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNPs) (OR 1.89).
• Specific mean differences in SF-36 mental health and SNOT-22 emotional well-being domains were observed between CRS subgroups and controls.

Conclusions:

• Depression and anxiety are significantly more prevalent in patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).
• The association is particularly strong for CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNPs).
• Healthcare providers should consider this increased mental health comorbidity in the management of CRS patients.