Prevalence and clinical presentation of chronic rhinosinusitis: a retrospective cohort study from a Tertiary Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical presentation of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), including the frequency of individual symptoms such as sleep-related complaints, and to describe disease severity and treatment outcomes in a tertiary care setting in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2015 and 2025. This was a single centre cohort at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh. Adults with CRS were selected through electronic health records. Patients with other comorbidities were excluded. Symptom burden was classified as mild (1â€"5 symptoms), moderate (6â€"14) or severe (15â€"22) based on Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT-22). Results: A total of 191 patients were included in this cohort. The most prevalent symptom was nasal blockage or congestion (89.0%). Other symptoms included runny nose (73.8%), sneezing (72.8%) and need to blow the nose (67.0%). Sleep related symptoms were also reported by approximately 39â€"41% of patients. These included waking up at night (41.4%), waking up tired (40.3%), difficulty falling asleep (39.8%) and poor sleep quality/snoring (38.7%). Moderate disease severity was found in 60.7% and severe in 3.7% of patients. Further, 170 patients (89.0%) reported symptomatic improvement following treatment. Conclusion: CRS was associated with a large symptom burden. It included nasal complaints and sleep-related symptoms reported by around 40% of patients. Treatment was associated with good rates of symptomatic improvement.