Demographics of Patients With Nasal Polyps Differ Significantly By Subtype and Region
Men and patients of Black race are more likely to have chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and patients of White race are more likely to have CRS with nasal polyps, according to results of a new study.
To differentiate the demographic characteristics of US patients with CRS and those of the general US population, as well as to differentiate the demographic characteristics of the various CRS subtypes, the researchers systematically reviewed the medical literature for articles that reported on the US demographics of adults with CRS. Then, they analyzed the demographics, geographic region, and CRS subtype data reported in this literature.
The analysis included 31 studies including 8409 patients. To be included in the systematic review, articles had to report studies in which participants were diagnosed by using consensus criteria.
From their review and analysis, the researchers found that the weighted mean age of the study group was 48 years, and half of the group was female. They also found that patients with CRS were mainly White (76%) and non-Hispanic (95%); compared with the US population in general, the group with CRS underrepresented persons of other races.
CRS without nasal polyps was more prevalent in men (60%) than in women and in Black patients (54%) than in patients of other races, whereas CRS with nasal polyps was more prevalent in White patients (84%) than in patients of other races.
Regarding regional differences in demographics, significantly more female (53%) and Black (18%) patients had CRS in the South than in other regions, but significantly more Asian (5%) and Hispanic (12%) patients had CRS in the West.
These findings prompted the researchers to concluded that “Significant demographic differences exist in CRS patients based on subtype and region.”
—Ellen Kurek
Reference:
Ma C, Mehta NK, Nguyen SA, Gudis DA, Miglani A, Schlosser RJ. Demographic variation in chronic rhinosinusitis by subtype and region: a systematic review. Am J Rhinol Allergy. Published online November 26, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/19458924211056294