Longitudinal Evaluation of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Symptoms in a Population-Based Sample

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent and disabling condition of the nose and sinuses. The natural history of CRS symptoms in a general population sample has not been previously studied.

In a general population-based sample from Pennsylvania, we used 2 questionnaires mailed 6 months apart to estimate the prevalence of, and identify predictors for, stability or change in symptoms over time.

We mailed the baseline and 6-month follow-up questionnaires to 23,700 primary care patients and 7,801 baseline responders, respectively. We categorized nasal and sinus symptoms using European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis (EPOS) epidemiologic criteria. We defined 6 symptom groups over time on the basis of the presence of CRS symptoms at baseline and follow-up. We performed multivariable survey logistic regression controlling for confounding variables comparing persistent versus nonpersistent, recurrent versus stable past, and incident versus never.

There were 4,966 responders at follow-up: 558 had persistent symptoms, 190 recurrent symptoms, and 83 new symptoms meeting EPOS criteria for CRS. The prevalence of persistent symptoms was 4.8% (95% CI, 3.8-5.8), whereas the annual cumulative incidence of new symptoms was 1.9% and of recurrent symptoms was 3.2%. More severe symptoms at baseline were associated with persistence, whereas minor symptoms, allergies, and multiple treatments were associated with the development of new symptoms.

Less than half with nasal and sinus symptoms meeting CRS EPOS criteria in our general, regional population had symptom persistence over time, with symptom profiles at baseline and age of onset being strongly associated with stability of symptoms.