Quality of life impairment due to chronic rhinosinusitis in asthmatics is mediated by asthma control

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and asthma, when comorbid, may influence each other’s disease course and decrease quality of life (QOL). Our objective was to determine if poorer asthma control due to CRS symptoms could be a mechanism for decreased QOL in asthmatic CRS patients.

METHODS

A total of 120 asthmatic CRS patients were recruited. CRS symptom burden was measured using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and patient-reported CRS symptom control, general health-related QOL was measured using the visual analog scale of the 5-dimensional EuroQol quality of life survey (EQ-5D VAS), and asthma control was measured using the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Association was sought between these outcome measures. A mediation model was created and validated to show that asthma control mediated the association between CRS symptom burden and decreased general health-related QOL.

RESULTS

ACT score was associated with SNOT-22, EQ-5D VAS was associated with SNOT-22 score, and EQ-5D VAS was associated with ACT score. A statistically significant mediation effect for ACT score in the association between SNOT-22 and EQ-5D VAS), which represented 22.1% of the total effect of SNOT-22 on EQ-5D VAS, was identified. Similar findings were made for patientreported CRS symptom control instead of SNOT-22 score.

CONCLUSIONS

In asthmatic CRS patients, a sizeable portion of CRS impact on QOL is indirectly mediated through the effect of CRS on poorer asthma control which may then drive decreased QOL.

Responsiveness and minimal clinically important difference for the EQ-5D in chronic rhinosinusitis

BACKGROUND

The 5-dimensional EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D) is validated to measure general health-related quality of life (QOL). Our objective was to determine the responsiveness and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the EQ-5D health utility value (EQ-5D HUV) and visual analog scale (EQ-5D VAS) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

METHODS

203 adults undergoing medical management for CRS were prospectively recruited. General health-related QOL (using EQ-5D HUV and EQ-5D VAS) and CRS-specific QOL (using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test [SNOT-22]) were measured at enrollment and a subsequent follow-up time point 2-12 months later. At follow-up, participants also rated change in general health as Much worse, A little worse, About the same, A little better or Much better compared to enrollment. The EQ-5D HUV and EQ-5D VAS MCIDs were calculated using distribution-based, anchor-based, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve-based methods.

RESULTS

Change in SNOT-22 score was correlated with EQ-5D HUV and EQ-5D VAS change. Using the different methods of calculating MCID, we find the EQ-5D HUV MCID to be 0.04 and EQ-5D VAS MCID to be 8.0. The calculated EQ-5D MCIDs had approximately a sensitivity of 40-50% and specificity of 80% in detecting patients experiencing noticeable improvement in general health.

CONCLUSIONS

The EQ-5D responds well to changing CRS symptomatology. We propose MCIDs for EQ-5D HUV of 0.04 and EQ-5D VAS of 8 in CRS patients, which although specific, are not sensitive for detecting patients experiencing improvement in general health.

Chronic rhinosinusitis exacerbations are differentially associated with lost productivity based on asthma status

BACKGROUND

The frequency of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) exacerbations is an independent predictor of quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate if increased CRS exacerbations predict decreased productivity.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of adult CRS patients. Number of patient-reported CRS-related antibiotic and oral corticosteroids courses and sinus infections in the past three months were used as metrics for acute exacerbations of CRS (AECRS). Productivity loss was measured by asking participants the number of lost days of work or school due to CRS in the past three months. Associations were sought between lost productivity and AECRS, controlling for clinical and demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

371 participants were recruited. 28.8% of study participants had comorbid asthma. The mean number of lost days of productivity due to CRS in the last three months was 1.5 for asthmatic participants and 2.4 for non-asthmatic participants. In asthmatics, CRS-related lost productivity was significantly associated with number of CRS-related antibiotics used (and oral corticosteroids used, with a trend for sinus infections. No AECRS metric was significantly associated with lost productivity in non-asthmatics. However, when focusing on non-asthmatics reporting missed days of work or school due to CRS, we found statistically significant associations between AECRS metrics and lost productivity.

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of AECRS is associated with CRS-related lost productivity in asthmatics and in the subset of non-asthmatics with moderate CRS-related productivity losses.

Depressed mood is associated with loss of productivity in allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is associated with significant decreases in quality of life and productivity losses. We hypothesized that symptoms of AR may differentially associate with lost productivity due to AR. We performed a cross-sectional cohort study of 105 prospectively recruited patients with persistent AR. AR control, severity of depressed mood, and sinonasal symptoms were assessed with the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (RCAT), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), and the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), respectively. Lost productivity was assessed by asking the number of days of work/school missed due to AR in the last 3 months. Patients missed a mean of 1.5 days (SD:2.9) of work or school. Lost productivity was associated with PHQ-2 (adjusted linear regression coefficient [β] = .68, 95% CI: 0.20-1.15, P = .007) analysis but not SNOT-22 or RCAT scores. Productivity losses due to AR are associated with severity of depressed mood rather than classic nasal or extra-nasal symptoms of AR.

Symptom control in chronic rhinosinusitis is an independent predictor of productivity loss

AIMS

Sinonasal symptoms cause significant productivity losses in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Patient-perceived CRS symptom control is a longitudinal measure of CRS symptomatology and is directly associated with general health-related quality of life (QOL) in patients with CRS. The aim of this study was to better understand the relationship between symptom control and productivity loss in CRS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prospective cross-sectional cohort study of 200 patients with CRS. Patients categorized their CRS symptom control as "Not at all", "A little", "Somewhat", "Very", and "Completely". Lost productivity was assessed by determining the number of work and/or school days missed in the last 3 months due to CRS symptoms. Sinonasal symptom severity was measured using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22). Associations were sought between lost productivity and patient-perceived CRS symptom control.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between patient-perceived longitudinal symptom control and productivity in patients with CRS.

RESULTS

A total of 200 participants (48% male, 52% female), with a mean age of 52 years (Standard Deviation [SD]: 16) were enrolled. The mean SNOT-22 score of participants was 33.5 (SD: 22.4). Participants missed a mean of 3 days (SD: 10) of work or school due to CRS. CRS symptom control classified as "not at all" was associated with 11 days of lost productivity due to CRS on univariate analysis (β=11.16, 95% CI: 5.39-16.94, P<0.001) and 8 days of lost productivity on multivariate analysis (β=8.02, 95% CI: 1.92-14.13, P=0.011). None of the other categories of patient-reported CRS symptom control were associated with lost productivity due to CRS.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient-perceived control of CRS symptoms, an important metric previously shown to be significantly associated with QOL in CRS patients, is independently associated with lost productivity. These results motivate longitudinal studies to determine if improvement of CRS symptom control may reduce losses in productivity.

Chronic rhinosinusitis severity is associated with need for asthma-related systemic corticosteroids

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is highly prevalent in patients with asthma. However, no study has evaluated the effect of CRS severity on asthma-related oral corticosteroid use - a marker of poor asthma control and prognosis. We therefore sought to evaluate the association between CRS severity and asthma-related oral corticosteroid use.

METHODOLOGY

Prospective cross-sectional study of 110 adult asthmatic CRS patients. CRS severity was measured using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) and Lund-Kennedy endoscopy score. Number of asthma-related courses of oral corticosteroids in the past year was queried at enrollment. Association was sought between metrics for CRS severity and asthma-related oral corticosteroids use in the last year. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves defined whether SNOT-22 or endoscopy scores could be used for detecting asthma-related oral corticosteroid use.

RESULTS

The mean SNOT-22 score was 44.9 (standard deviation [SD] : 23.3) and mean endoscopy score was 4.1 (SD: 3.0). The mean number of asthma-related oral corticosteroid courses taken in the last year was 1.1 (SD: 1.9). SNOT-22, but not endoscopy score, was associated with requiring at least one course of asthma-related oral corticosteroids in the last year (odds ratio = 1.03, 95%CI: 1.02 - 1.06, p=0.003), which translates to an odds ratio of 2.0 for a 21-point increase in SNOT-22. ROC analysis identified equally optimal SNOT-22 scores of greater than 32 (sensitivity: 88.1%, specificity: 41.2%) or greater than 65 (sensitivity: 38.1%, specificity: 91.2%) for detecting the need for at least one course of oral corticosteroids within the past year.

CONCLUSIONS

CRS symptom severity is associated with past asthma-related oral corticosteroid use. SNOT-22 scores may be used as a versatile tool to screen for past asthma-related oral corticosteroid use in asthmatic CRS patients - i.e. those at greatest risk from their asthma - with either high sensitivity or high specificity.

A contemporary analysis of clinical and demographic factors of chronic rhinosinusitis patients and their association with disease severity

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is highly prevalent, significantly decreases quality of life and leads to tremendous health care costs every year. No recent study has characterised the prevalence of potentially CRS-modifying patient characteristics and simultaneously shown their impact on CRS severity.

AIMS

We sought to determine the prevalence of potential clinical and demographic CRS-modifying characteristics and their associations with CRS symptom severity in a large contemporary cohort of CRS patients.

METHODS

Retrospective review of CRS patients who visited our rhinology clinics between February 2016 and February 2017 was conducted. CRS symptom severity was measured using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire, which all patients received. Association was sought between SNOT-22 score (as dependent variable) and patients' clinical and demographic characteristics using linear regression.

RESULTS

Of the 572 included patients, the mean age was 51.1 years (SD = 15.8) and the mean SNOT-22 score was 34.3 (SD = 22.6). Prevalence of granulomatous diseases, immunodeficiency and cystic fibrosis were each approximately 5%. Prevalence of aeroallergen hypersensitivity was 42.3% and prevalence of asthma was 27.8%. More severe CRS symptomatology was associated with smoking tobacco (adjusted β = 5.47, p = 0.034) and comorbid asthma (adjusted β = 12.02, p < 0.001), whilst less severe symptomatology was associated with older age (adjusted β = -0.23, p = 0.002) and diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (adjusted β = -11.87, p = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

In a contemporary cohort of CRS patients, prevalence of disease-modifying comorbidities ranged from approximately 5 to over 40%. Smoking tobacco and asthma were associated with more severe CRS symptomatology, whilst older age and diagnosis of cystic fibrosis were associated with less severe CRS symptomatology.

Symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis differentially impact general health-related quality of life

BACKGROUND

The degree to which different sinonasal symptoms contribute to the overall quality of life (QOL) detriment in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients remains unknown. In this study we sought to characterize the effect of different CRS symptoms on the general health-related QOL in patients.

METHODOLOGY

We performed a prospective cross-sectional study of 131 adult patients with CRS. Sinonasal symptoms were evaluated using the 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) and general health-related QOL was evaluated using the EuroQol 5-Dimensional general health-related QOL survey (EQ5D) and visual analog scale (EQ5D-VAS). Health utility values (HUV) were determined using responses to the EQ5D. SNOT-22 scores were broken down into subdomain scores for sleep, nasal, otologic/facial pain and emotional function symptoms.

RESULTS

The otologic/facial pain subdomain score consistently had the largest impact on EQ5D-VAS and HUV. After otologic/facial pain, the sleep subdomain score had the second largest effect while the nasal subdomain score had the least impact on general health-related QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

Different types of CRS symptoms - most prominently otologic/facial pain and sleep-related symptoms - and their underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms may differentially affect the general health-related QOL detriment associated with CRS. These findings raise the possibility that treatment of the various symptoms associated with CRS may lead to differential improvement in general-health related QOL.

Sensitivity of objective parameters in the diagnosis of pediatric septic hips

This study examines the sensitivity of temperature, leukocyte count, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the diagnosis of pediatric septic arthritis of the hip by retrospective case analysis of 26 children, aged 0 to 6 years, in hospitals of central Brooklyn. The average presenting temperature was 38.4 degrees C, with 65% of the patients having had a temperature higher than 38 degrees C. The average leukocyte count was 13,500 per mL, with 73% of patients having a leukocyte count greater than 9000 per ml. The average erythrocyte sedimentation rate (21 cases) was 51 mm per hour, with 95% of the patients presenting with an erythrocyte sedimentation rate greater than 20 mm per hour. Of these children with septic hips, only 5% had a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, although 35% had a normal temperature and 27% had a normal leukocyte count. Neonates (age younger than 1 month) were not febrile (average temperature, 36.7 degrees C) and did not have an elevated leukocyte count (average leukocyte count, 9300 per mL) but did have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (average erythrocyte sedimentation rate, 45 mm per hour). Of these 3 values, erythrocyte sedimentation rate is the most sensitive indicator of septic arthritis of the hip in children 0 to 6 years of age.

Non secretory multiple myeloma involving the maxilla: report of a case with update of biology and new approaches to management

Non-secretory myeloma of the maxilla is a rare occurrence. A case involving the maxillary tuberosity is presented along with an update on current understanding of myeloma biology, recent insights which provide, for the first time, hope of significant longer term survival. New therapies and diagnostic methods, as well as the importance of involvement of the special care dentist, in management of the impacting effects of both disease and treatments are discussed.

Windshield safety glass foreign body masquerading as a root fragment

A 42-year-old woman presented with a persistent radiopacity suggestive of an apparent root fragment after full dental clearance. This was caused by a foreign body lying within the buccal soft tissues. The foreign body was identified as a portion of soda-lime-silica glass which had penetrated during a road traffic accident but which had remained undetected for 6 years. Following its removal, further chemical analyses were undertaken to compare the radiographic characteristics of the windscreen glass in this case with other glass samples.

Interstitial collagenase gene expression in colonic neoplasia

Tumor invasion and metastasis are complex phenomena believed to be facilitated by the disruption of collagen and elastin fibers in the extracellular matrix. Interstitial collagenase gene expression was studied in colonic adenocarcinoma and adenoma using in situ hybridization. The data indicated that three cell types within the tumor stroma expressed collagenase transcripts; they were eosinophils, fibroblasts, and vascular endothelium. In all 12 adenocarcinomas, a high to moderate level of expression was seen in 1 to 5% of eosinophils and in occasional fibroblasts, whereas these cell types in non-neoplastic mucosa adjacent to tumor showed no detectable expression. Two adenocarcinomas showed expression in hyperplastic endothelium in vascularized granulation tissue. Two out of three adenomas showed expression in eosinophils and fibroblasts at a reduced level. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 gene expression was, however, negligible in all tissue examined. These results suggest that interstitial collagenase gene activation in the tumor stroma, especially eosinophils, may have an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis.

Interstitial collagenase gene expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

In this study, in situ hybridization techniques were used to determine the location of interstitial collagenase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) gene expression in samples from 11 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (particularly the oral cavity) and from non-neoplastic mucosa of the same region. Ten of the 11 carcinomas examined showed abundant levels of collagenase gene expression in stromal fibroblasts within connective tissues immediately adjacent to tumor masses. Lower levels were detected in basaloid tumor cells located at the periphery of several tumor masses. Interstitial collagenase expression was consistently low in all normal, hyperplastic, and dysplastic epithelial sections. TIMP gene expression was negligible in all tissues examined. These results support the view that stromal interstitial collagenase production may play a key role in assisting invasiveness of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.