Sinus symptom scores: what is the range in healthy individuals?

Abstract

Patient symptom severity is an important outcome measure in the assessment and staging of chronic rhinosinusitis. Symptom scores based on a visual analogue scale (VAS) are being used increasingly for this purpose although little, if any, information is available on normal values for these scores. We assessed symptom score ratings using the ICSD symptom scores system (maximum score = 60), in a group of 100 healthy individuals who considered themselves free of nasal conditions. Scores from this healthy sample were compared with scores from a hundred patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis. The healthy group did not have a uniformly perfect score (mean = 8. 8) and smokers had higher sinus symptom scores than non-smokers (P = 0.02). There was a significant difference in mean values between the healthy sample and the patients with rhinosinusitis (abnormal mean score = 35.3, P = < 0.001). Despite the score difference, a marked overlap existed between the two groups. It should not be assumed that rhinology patients will achieve a zero or near zero score following treatment, but rather their scores should be expected to move closer to the score range for the healthy population.

A Host Transcriptional Signature for Presymptomatic Detection of Infection in Humans Exposed to Influenza H1N1 or H3N2

“…The potential power of this approach is manifested by full discriminative ability of the genomic signature as early as 53 hours post-viral exposure, at a time when the average clinical score of symptomatic individuals is only 2.4. Symptoms of this nature and severity are clinically vague and would be typical of very mild allergies [22] or even symptoms due to sequelae of chronic smoking [23]. Therefore, genomic analyses demonstrate the potential to identify viral infection either before symptoms emerge or among what otherwise are common, nonspecific upper respiratory symptoms, when early intervention with antiviral medications could have profound impact on both individual symptoms and disease transmission [24], [25], [26].…”

Efficacy of nasal mometasone for the treatment of chronic sinonasal disease in patients with inadequately controlled asthma

“…Secondary outcomes included changes in methacholine reactivity, asthma symptoms (Asthma Symptom Utility Index [ASUI]), 25 asthma-related quality of life questionnaires (Childhood Health Survey for Asthma [CHSA] 26 or Marks Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [Marks AQLQ] 27 ), sinusitis and rhinitis symptoms including a sinus symptom questionnaire 28 and sinusitis related quality of life questionnaires ( SinoNasal survey-5 [SN5] 29 for 6-17 years, and SinoNasal Outcome Test 22 [SNOT22] 30 for 18 years and older), spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide. Secondary outcomes also included the rate of acute episodes of poor asthma control defined as a decrease of greater than 30% in morning peak flow rate from personal best (assessed during run-in) for 2 consecutive days, addition of an oral corticosteroid to treat asthma symptoms, unscheduled contact with a health care provider for asthma symptoms or increased use of short acting β-agonists (≥ 4 additional puffs of rescue medication or ≥2 additional nebulizer treatments in 1 day).…”

The range of the Oxford Shoulder Score in the asymptomatic population: a marker for post-operative improvement

“…However, work on scoring systems in otolaryngology and indeed the research we have carried out has clearly demonstrated that this is not the case. 9 The work done by Walker and White using the International Conference on Sinus Disease scoring system for rhinosinusitis showed that the average score in asymptomatic adults was greater than the minimum score and that there was substantial overlap between the scores of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. 9 We can only speculate about the reasons for our findings.…”

“…9 The work done by Walker and White using the International Conference on Sinus Disease scoring system for rhinosinusitis showed that the average score in asymptomatic adults was greater than the minimum score and that there was substantial overlap between the scores of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. 9 We can only speculate about the reasons for our findings. It is possible that there is a background incidence of shoulder pathology in the general population that never requires medical intervention.…”