Socioeconomic factors in the diagnosis of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.
OBJECTIVE
1) To investigate socioeconomic and demographic factors differentiating allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) from other chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) diagnostic groups. 2) To consider the potential impact of epidemiological differences on AFRS disease course.


METHODS
Retrospective review.


METHODS
Retrospective review of AFRS patients, CRS patients with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) without AFRS, and CRS patients without polyps (CRSsNP). Analysis of group differences was performed for age at presentation, gender, ethnicity, insurance status, and socioeconomic measures with the use of medical records and a South Carolina demographic database.


RESULTS
AFRS presentation age was lower than CRSwNP and CRSsNP (P < 0.001). The AFRS group had more African Americans (P < 0.001) and uninsured or Medicaid patients (P < 0.001) than expected. AFRS patients resided in counties with higher poverty percentage (P = 0.011), lower median income (P = 0.048), and more African American residents (P = 0.020) than CRSsNP patients. No group differences existed for gender or physicians per 1000 county residents.


CONCLUSIONS
Demographic and socioeconomic factors may affect AFRS presentation and treatment.
Wise
Sarah K
SK
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
Ghegan
Mark D
MD
Gorham
Edward
E
Schlosser
Rodney J
RJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009181:Mycoses / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology