OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence and psychopathological characteristics of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and to find the risk factors leading to psychological problems.

METHODSBetween August 2013 and April 2014, 117 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of CRS who had been scheduled for endoscopic sinus surgery were prospectively enrolled. Somatic and psychological symptoms were evaluated using a series of questionnaire instruments. The instruments included symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90), self-rating depression scale (SDS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the sinonasal outcome test 20 (SNOT-20) and Lund-Mackay computed tomography score. The results of SAS, SDS, SCL-90 were compared with the standard, obtained from healthy Chinese population. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors that might cause anxiety and depression. SPSS 19.0 software was used to analyze the data.

RESULTSThe scores of SAS and SDS (39.40 ± 11.55, 54.05 ± 10.96) were significantly higher than those of our country's normal standard (29.78 ± 10.46, 41.88 ± 10.57, t equals 5.648, 7.529, all P < 0.01). The SCL-90 scores were significantly higher than those of the normal standard population, including dimension of somatization, anxiety, depression, psychosis and total average score of the factors ( all P < 0.01), the result of somatization, anxiety, depression had positive correlation with the scores of SAS and SDS (r equals 0.681, 0.781, 0.531, 0.866, 0.674, 0.557, all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression showed that gender and CRS complicated with asthma or allergic rhinitis (AR) and the symptom of nasal obstruction were related to the incidence of anxiety depression comorbid. In addition, the gender and concurrent asthma had positive correlation with incidence of any anxiety or depressive disorder. To compare the abnormal psychological state group and healthy group, the SNOT-20 scores had no statistical significance (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHigh prevalence of anxiety and depression was found in CRS patients. Such factors as gender, nasal obstruction and concurrent with asthma or AR are high risk factors for anxiety and depression in patients with CRS.