Abstract
Abstract
Background
Although multiple clinical trials have demonstrated that balloon dilation of sinus ostia in patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) results in sustained symptomatic improvement, less data are available to measure the effects of sinusitis on worker productivity. The objective of our research was to analyze work and activity impairment before and after transantral, endoscopically‐guided balloon dilation of the maxillary sinus ostia and ethmoid infundibulum.
Methods
Subjects diagnosed with CRS and computed tomography (CT) evidence of disease in the maxillary sinuses alone, or maxillary and anterior ethmoid sinuses, completed the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire and the Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ) before treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months postprocedure.
Results
A total of 56 subjects were enrolled and 53 completed the 1‐year follow‐up. The lost productivity composite score computed from the WLQ improved by 73% (9.0 to 2.4; p p Conclusion
These results indicate that sinus‐related health problems impose a substantial burden on work productivity and physical/mental activity levels. Treatment of CRS by dilating the maxillary sinus ostium and ethmoid infundibulum can significantly improve quality of life (QOL) and work productivity. © 2011 ARS‐AAOA, LLC.