The prevalence of chronic sinusitis in Europe

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Allergy. 2011 May 24. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02646.x. [Epub ahead of print]Chronic rhinosinusitis in Europe - an underestimated disease. A GA(2) LEN study.Hastan D, Fokkens WJ, Bachert C, Newson RB, Bislimovska J, Bockelbrink A, Bousquet PJ, Brozek G, Bruno A, Dahlén SE, Forsberg B,Gunnbjörnsdóttir M, Kasper L, Krämer U, Kowalski ML, Lange B, Lundbäck B, Salagean E, Todo-Bom A, Tomassen P, Toskala E, van Drunen CM, Bousquet J, Zuberbier T, Jarvis D, Burney P.SourceDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Upper Airways Research Laboratory, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Logopaedic-Audiologic Science, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Department of Respiratory Epidemiology and Public health, Imperial College, London, UK Institute for Occupational Health of R. Macedonia, University "Sts Cyril and Methodius" Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany Department of Respiratory Medicine, Montpellier University, Montpellier, France Department of Epidemiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland Department of Respiratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, Palermo, Italy Department of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, Umea, Sweden Department of Respiratory Medicine & Allergology, Uppsala University, Uppsala Sweden Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Krakow, Poland Environmental Health Research Institute, Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, and Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany Department of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, Medical University of Lódz, Lódz, Poland Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark Krefting Research Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Department of Immunology and Allergology, University Hospital Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, now working at Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.AbstractTo cite this article: Hastan D, Fokkens WJ, Bachert C, Newson RB, Bislimovska J, Bockelbrink A, Bousquet PJ, Brozek G, Bruno A, Dahlén SE, Forsberg B, Gunnbjörnsdóttir M, Kasper L, Krämer U, Kowalski ML, Lange B, Lundbäck B, Salagean E, Todo-Bom A, Tomassen P, Toskala E, van Drunen CM, Bousquet J, Zuberbier T, Jarvis D, Burney P. Chronic rhinosinusitis in Europe - an underestimated disease. A GA(2) LEN study. Allergy 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02646.x. ABSTRACT: Background:  Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common health problem, with significant medical costs and impact on general health. Even so, prevalence figures for Europe are unavailable. In this study, conducted by the GA(2) LEN network of excellence, the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and nasal Polyps (EP(3) OS) diagnostic criteria are applied to estimate variation in the prevalence of Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) for Europe. Method:  A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of adults aged 15-75 years in 19 centres in Europe. Participants reported symptoms of CRS, and doctor diagnosed CRS, allergic rhinitis, age, gender and smoking history. Definition of CRS was based on the EP(3) OS diagnostic criteria: the presence of more than two of the symptoms: (i) nasal blockage, (ii) nasal discharge, (iii) facial pain/pressure or (iv) reduction in sense of smell, for >12 weeks in the past year - with at least one symptom being nasal blockage or discharge. Results:  Information was obtained from 57 128 responders living in 19 centres in 12 countries. The overall prevalence of CRS by EP(3) OS criteria was 10.9% (range 6.9-27.1). CRS was more common in smokers than in nonsmokers (OR 1.7: 95% CI 1.6-1.9). The prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed CRS within centres was highly correlated with the prevalence of EP(3) OS-diagnosed CRS. Conclusion:  This is the first European international multicentre prevalence study of CRS. In this multicentre survey of adults in Europe, about one in ten participants had CRS with marked geographical variation. Smoking was associated with having CRS in all parts of Europe.