Prevalence of ear complaints in patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) commonly have ear complaints (ECs) (1). Reported prevalences in CRS-patients vary up to 61% (2, 3), and even higher (82%) in patients with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) with an indication for surgery (4). These data, however, are not based on validated otologic surveys. Instead, the ear-related questions of the SinoNasal Outcome Test 22-items (SNOT-22) (5) are used. ECs are often overlooked as CRSwNP patients present primarily with nasal complaints, despite the impact on quality of life of this co-morbidity (2, 4). With the advent of biological therapy for severe uncontrolled CRSwNP, comorbidities are increasingly appreciated including the rare but debilitating eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) (6). This study investigates ECs, evaluated by otologic questionnaires, in a severe uncontrolled CRSwNP population. It also investigates the use of single SNOT-22 ear items as proxy for relevant ECs.