Impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on sinonasal symptoms and quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

ct of posttraumatic stress disorder on sinonasal symptoms and quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis Original Research (783) Total Article Views Authors: Shejbal D, Vagi D, Stevanovi S, Koi E, Kalogjera L Published Date November 2012 Volume 2012:6 Pages 847 - 852 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S37816 Received: 06 September 2012 Accepted: 28 September 2012 Published: 30 November 2012 Dra en Shejbal,1 Davor Vagic, 2 Sini a Stevanovic, 3 Elvira Koic, 4 Livije Kalogjera2 1Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Pakrac City Hospital, Pakrac, Croatia; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Sisters of Mercy Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; 3Division of Otorhinolaryngology, 4Division of Psychiatry, Virovitica General Hospital, Virovitica, Croatia Background: Severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), measured by disease-specific health-related quality-of-life questionnaires, is expected to increase in patients who also suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Altered pain perception, sleep disorders, and fatigue may be associated with this comorbidity. Methods: Severity of CRS was compared between a group of 28 patients with CRS and a group of 28 patients with CRS and concomitant PTSD using different disease-specific and generic instruments, such as visual analog scale (VAS), Short Form-36 test (SF-36), and Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT 22). Results: SNOT-22 test showed significantly higher CRS severity in patients with CRS and PTSD, compared to patients with CRS without PTSD. Conclusion: Patients with less severe CRS, measured by objective outcome measures, due to the impact of comorbid PTSP, are classified as having severe rhinosinusitis, and are exposed to the risk of unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In patients with difficult-to-treat rhinosinusitis, diagnosis should be revised, and one item that should be evaluated is whether they suffer from PTSD.