Chronic rhinosinusitis in Europe - an underestimated disease. A GA2LEN study

Information was obtained from 57 128 responders living in 19 centres in 12 countries. The overall prevalence of CRS by EP3OS criteria was 10.9% (range 6.9–27.1). CRS was more common in smokers than in nonsmokers (OR 1.7: 95% CI 1.6–1.9). The prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed CRS within centres was highly correlated with the prevalence of EP3OS-diagnosed CRS.

This is the first European international multicentre prevalence study of CRS. In this multicentre survey of adults in Europe, about one in ten participants had CRS with marked geographical variation. Smoking was associated with having CRS in all parts of Europe.