Changes in chronic rhinosinusitis symptoms differentially associate with improvement in general health-related quality of life.

Background: Previous work has shown that the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) differentially associate with decreased general health-related quality of life (QOL).

Objective: We sought to determine whether longitudinal changes in different types of CRS symptomatology lead to correspondingly different magnitude changes in general health-related QOL.

Methods: Prospective observational study of 145 patients undergoing medical management for CRS. Chronic rhinosinusitis symptom severity was measured using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and associated nasal, sleep, ear/facial discomfort, and emotional subdomains of the SNOT-22. General health-related QOL was measured using the 5-dimensional EuroQoL questionnaire's visual analog scale (EQ-5D VAS). These data were collected at 2 time points: at enrollment and at a subsequent follow-up visit within the next 2 to 6 months. Associations were sought between the changes in SNOT-22 and EQ-5D VAS.

Results: The change in SNOT-22 was associated with change in EQ-5D VAS (adjusted linear regression coefficient [β] = -0.37, 95%CI: -0.51 to -0.24, P < .001). The change in EQ-5D VAS was only associated with changes in the sleep (adjusted β = -0.42, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: -0.81 to -0.04, P = .034) and ear/facial discomfort (adjusted β = -1.00, 95%CI: -1.89 to -0.10, P = .031) subdomains but not nasal (adjusted β = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.52 to 0.28, P = .564) or emotional (adjusted β = -0.17, 95%CI: -1.83 to 1.49, P = .840) subdomains.

Conclusion: Changes in the severity of sleep and ear/facial discomfort symptoms associate most greatly with the change in general health-related QOL that CRS patients experience during routine medical management. Reduction of these extranasal symptoms of CRS may therefore lead to the greatest improvement in general health-related QOL.