Prevalence of Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Rajavithi Hospital Workers, Bangkok, Thailand

Background The prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has been reported to range from 5% to 12% in different parts of the world. However, the prevalence of CRS in Thailand has not been investigated. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of CRS among hospital workers and identify any potential problems encountered during the survey. Method Adult workers (>18 years) of Rajavithi Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, were recruited. This cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 2021 to September 2022. The participants were given a link to online questionnaires asking if they had nasal obstruction, discharge, decreased smell sensation, or facial pain and their respective duration. Phone numbers and email were asked for contact when needed. The participants who fulfilled the symptom and duration according to the European position paper on rhinosinusitis and nasal polyp 2020 were counted as symptom-based CRS patients. These patients were then contacted for nasal endoscopy. The endoscopic-based diagnosis of CRS was made after positive endoscopy findings. Result A total of 1,025 participants (mean age of 33.7 years) were recruited. Of total, there were 34 (3.3%) and 6 (0.58%) participants fulfilled symptom- and endoscopy-based diagnoses, respectively. Fourteen participants did not respond to calls or emails. Five patients refused to visit the clinic due to inconveniences. One patient refused nasal endoscopy because of the expenses. Conclusion The overall prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis in workers of Rajavithi Hospital, was 3.3% and 0.58% by symptom- and endoscopy-based criteria, respectively. Difficulty reaching the participants for nasal endoscopy was the leading survey problem. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study was funded by Rajavithi Hospital ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The study protocol received approval from the institutional review board of Rajavithi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, on 27th August 2021 (no. 208/2564). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors