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.