 |
Jong-Yeup Kim, M.D., Ph.D., of Hallym University College of Medicine, in South Korea and colleagues analyzed the health insurance records of 16,244 South Korean patients who received inpatient and outpatient care for chronic rhinosinusitis from January 2002 through December 2004. Each patient was tracked until December 31, 2013, or until the occurrence of depression and anxiety. The researchers then compared the rates of depression and anxiety in this group with those of 32,448 patients who did not have chronic rhinosinusitis in that period.
During the follow-up period, there were 24.2 incidences of depression per 1,000 person-years in the chronic rhinosinusitis group, compared with 16 in the control group. There were 42.2 incidences of anxiety per 1,000 person-years in the chronic rhinosinusitis group, compared with 27.8 in the control group.
In their discussion, the researchers noted that although people with chronic rhinosinusitis have higher rates of depression and anxiety, the relationship between chronic rhinosinusitis and these conditions remains unclear: “Despite its clinical importance, the causal association between [chronic rhinosinusitis] and psychiatric comorbidities is not fully understood. For example, whether depression and anxiety amplify the symptoms of [chronic rhinosinusitis] or whether these conditions are the consequence of [chronic rhinosinusitis] is unknown,” they wrote.
In an accompanying editorial, Edward D. McCoul, M.D., M.P.H., of the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans noted that it may be helpful for physicians to keep depression and anxiety in mind when treating patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.
“Given the current state of knowledge, the physician may choose to screen patients with newly diagnosed [chronic rhinosinusitis] for the presence of depression or anxiety disorders. Brief, patient-reported questionnaires are a low-cost measure that may reduce morbidity in the long term and improve the success of treatments directed at [chronic rhinosinusitis],” he wrote.
(Image: iStock/Cecilie_Arcurs)
