International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology 2019; 5(1): 24-30 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijo doi: 10.11648/j.ijo.20190501.16 ISSN: 2472-2405 (Print); ISSN: 2472-2413 (Online) The Correlation Between SNOT-22 and Visual Analogue Scale in the Assessment of Symptom Severity in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Omoregie Joseph Idugboe 1, * , Adebolajo Adeyemo 2 , Ebidisemene Linda Totyen 1 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, Nigeria 2 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Omoregie Joseph Idugboe, Adebolajo Adeyemo, Ebidisemene Linda Totyen. The Correlation Between SNOT-22 and Visual Analogue Scale in the Assessment of Symptom Severity in Chronic Rhinosinusitis. International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 5, No. 1, 2019, pp. 24-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ijo.20190501.16 Received: May 25, 2019; Accepted: July 1, 2019; Published: July 13, 2019 Abstract: Chronic rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory process involving the sinonasal mucosa, lasting 12 weeks or longer. It is often characterized by a complex of debilitating symptoms usually classified into minor and major symptoms. Estimating symptom/ disease severity using structured questionnaires can be challenging. This is especially so in rural areas where a combination of low literacy levels and language barrier may present communication difficulties. In view of the aforementioned challenges, it has become imperative to explore the correlation between the 22- item sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT-22) and a simpler means of evaluating symptom severity in chronic rhinosinusitis; hence this study. To determine the correlation between SNOT-22 and visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaire scoring of symptom severity in chronic rhinosinusitis. This was a twelve month prospective cross sectional study of fifty- two consecutive newly diagnosed adult patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Age of patients ranged from 19 – 91 years. Male to female ratio was 1: 1.26. There was a significant positive correlation between VAS and SNOT-22 in moderate and high symptom severity in patients with CRS. This study found a positive correlation between SNOT-22 and VAS scoring of disease severity in moderate and severe diseases and an insignificant correlation between these two instruments in mild disease. VAS can be used as a guide to symptom severity in the pre-treatment patients with CRS. Keywords: Chronic Rhinosinusitis, Sinonasal Outcome Test-22, Visual Analogue Scale, Symptoms, Severity, Low Literacy, Language Barrier 1. Introduction Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory process involving the sinonasal mucosa. It is defined as the presence of two or more symptoms one of which should be either nasal blockage/obstruction/congestion or nasal discharge (anterior or posterior) with or without facial pain (pressure), hyposmia for more than 12 weeks, together with pathologic endoscopic findings in the middle nasal meatus and or computerized tomography scan changes within the osteomeatal complex (OMC) and or sinuses [1]. The mean medical cost of CRS per patient was reported to be $921 with an average of 4.8 missed workdays annually in the United States [2]. In north-western Nigeria, Iseh et al [3] reported a prevalence of 7.3% of CRS in a population of children and adults, which is consistent with studies on CRS in otolaryngology practice from various regions in Nigeria with a similar population [4-9]. Although the symptoms of rhinosinusitis are not life threatening, they are associated with a dramatic reduction in quality of life and causes emotional distress among sufferers. It often results to reduced work and school attendance, sleep disturbance, sexual and olfactory dysfunction [10]. These symptoms and signs of CRS which includes facial congestion or fullness, nasal obstruction or blockage, anterior rhinorhoea or post-nasal discharge, hyposmia, headache, fever, halitosis,