The influence of comorbid mental disorders on quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

In recent years, the international literature has contained numerous reports indicating a high prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Measurement of subjective health-related quality of life in CRS patients, also as an assessment of treatment outcome, has received increasing attention in the past two decades. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between results of screening tests for the two most frequent mental disorders in Germany and the results of the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20 German Adapted Version (SNOT-20 GAV) in patients with CRS. 121 in- and outpatients with a confirmed diagnosis of CRS were examined with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the SNOT-20 GAV. Possible correlations were verified by statistical tests. Of 108 evaluated tests, 23.1% contained indications of moderate or severe depressive syndromes, clinically relevant anxiety disorders, and combined disorders. For the results of BDI-II, BAI, and the overall quality of life (ALQ) subscore of SNOT-20 GAV, significantly more mental comorbidities and a worse quality of life were observed in women and older patients. There was a high/moderate correlation between the total score of BDI-II/BAI and the ALQ subscore for the entire patient group. The correlation between total scores of BDI-II/BAI and the subscore of primary nasal symptoms (PNS) was very weak. The presented trial points out the considerable number of mental comorbidities in patients with affirmed CRS. Furthermore, the results of this examination demonstrate the significant influence of mental comorbidity on the quality of life of these patients.