The Importance of the SNOT-22 Test in Assessing the Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Romania

The objectives of this study were: the translation of the SNOT-22 test in Romanian language in an accessible form, ensuring patient compliance; determining the suitability of using this test in evaluating the quality of life of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis in Romania, taking into account the peculiarities of population demographics. There are many instruments developed for assessing the quality of life (QoL) of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Of these, SNOT-20 (Sinonasal Outcome Test) and its extension - SNOT-22 are widely used. This is the first study that examines how the SNOT-22 test can be used to assess the quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis in Romania. The study is based on the analysis of the responses to the SNOT-22 test of 80 patients diagnosed by an ENT doctor with chronic rhinosinusitis, with or without nasal polyps. The translation of the test from English to Romanian was done by the authors of this study. We began our investigation by analyzing the homogeneity of the group of patients in terms of background, gender and age, which allowed us to compute two odds ratios and evaluate their statistical significance. Statistical analysis indicates that there is no causal relationship between the patient's background or gender and their SNOT-22 score. Moreover, the analysis of interquartile ranges of the scores given by patients to symptoms of the SNOT-22 test demonstrates that chronic rhinosinusitis symptoms typically score significantly higher relative to other symptoms. Therefore, we can reliably use the SNOT-22 test on patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, since the scores obtained are closely related solely to the patient's pathology. This result is further proof of the effectiveness of using the SNOT-22 test in assessing symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis, and, consequently, in assessing the quality of life of patients.