This prospective cohort study enrolled patients with a confirmed chronic rhinosinusitis diagnosis presented to the clinic with a caregiver. At the initial visit, patients completed a Rhinosinusitis Disability Index. The caregiver completed a Rhinosinusitis Disability Index based on their perception of the patient’s symptoms and a Modified Caregiver Strain Index and a Short Form-36 to assess caregiving strain and overall health, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed with significance defined as P < 0.05 a priori.
A total of 44 total subjects were enrolled. Patients reported a complete Rhinosinusitis Disability Index of 36.8, and caregivers reported a total Rhinosinusitis Disability Index of 50.4. The principal differences between patient and caregiver scores were noted in the emotional and physical domains. Only the functional part was not statistically different.
The study concluded that the caregivers experience more significant strain as the patient’s quality of life declines. Caregivers perceive patients to have worse quality of life than patients report. Based on these data, caregivers may provide additional insight into the quality of life disturbance of chronic rhinosinusitis. Besides, the societal impact of chronic rhinosinusitis may be underestimated.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892418765001
