[Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis: disease-specific and general health-related quality of life]

Abstract

Background: The negative effect of chronic rhinosinusitis on patient quality of life has been generally underappreciated and undervalued. So far, only a few studies have examined health-related quality of life at German language patient collectives with validated measuring instruments.

Patients and methods: Preoperatively, 163 patients were included into the study. Three months and 1 year after functional endonasal sinus surgery 123 and 82 patients, respectively, participated in the questioning. To measure health-related quality of life, we used version 20 of the German Adapted Version of the Sinonasal Outcome Test and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The German normative values of the SF-36 were used for analysis.

Results: Postoperatively, a significant improvement in health-related quality of life was determined on all scales of both measuring instruments. Comparing our data with the German normative values of the SF-36, we found a lasting approximation of the average assessment levels in seven of eight scales.

Conclusion: Functional endonasal sinus surgery leads to significant improvements in disease-specific and general quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.