To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - AAO: Chronic Sinusitis Doesn't Respond To Treatment URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/133792.htm Doctor's Guide September 29, 1999
By Andrew Bowser Special to DG News
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- September 29, 1999 -- Measures of pain, functioning, health and vitality for patients with chronic sinusitis remain depressed after treatment, while those same measures return to normal levels after patients with recurrent acute sinusitis are treated, according to new research.
The results of the study were presented at Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO) - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, being held this week in New Orleans, LA.
The study included 162 adults enrolled prospectively, categorized as having acute or chronic disease and treated according to the guidelines for care at the Vanderbilt Asthma, Sinus and Allergy program, a comprehensive disease management center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Investigators treated patients using standard anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and allergy agents. To monitor patient response to therapy, the researchers twice administered the Medical Outcome Short-form 36 Item Health Survey (SF-36), once at time of initial visit and again at the end of a follow-up visit approximately 33 days later.
In patients with chronic disease, post-treatment SF-36 scores did not reach average norms seen in the general population. On the other hand, scores for the recurrent acute patients one month post-treatment reached levels not statistically different from the norm. The patient-reported factors which improved most dramatically in response to treatment were physical role functioning and vitality.
Researchers said their study showed that patients with acute sinusitis can improve when treated according to carefully-defined disease management protocol but that chronic sinusitis sufferers have few medical options for cure.
Armed with this understanding, physicians might be better able to subdivide patients into those who might respond to medical treatment and those who may need medical intervention. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.