Transseptal Suturing Reduce Patient Anxiety after Septoplasty Compared to Nasal Packing.

BACKGROUND: We measured postoperative anxiety in patients who underwent transseptal suturing or nasal packing after septoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transseptal suturing was performed on Group 1 patients and nasal splints with airway were placed after septoplasty in Group 2 patients. Postoperative 48-h anxiety levels of both groups were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) clinical assessment scale, prior to removal of nasal packing in Group 2. RESULTS: Transseptal suturing was performed after septoplasty in 28 patients and nasal packing in 34 patients. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory clinical assessment state (STAI-S) and trait (STAI-T) instruments were used to measure postoperative anxiety. The STAI-S scores were found 35.00 in the transseptal suturing group and 43.8 in the nasal packing group; the difference was found significant (p < 0.05). The STAI-T scores were found 42.6 in the transseptal suturing group and 45.7 in the nasal packing group; the difference was not found significant (p > 0.05). The rate of minor hemorrhage was found 10.7% in Group 1 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Transseptal suturing is simple and reliable when performed after septoplasty. The technique is painless and comfortable, and reduces patient anxiety (compared to that associated with nasal packing) with only a minor increase in operating time and hemorrhage.

Health anxiety and depression in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate health anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). METHODS: Patients with FMS and healthy control subjects were recruited. All participants completed the Health Anxiety Inventory Short Form (HAI-SF) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Pain was assessed in patients with FMS using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: This study involved 95 patients with FMS (15 male) and 95 healthy controls (17 male). Mean ± SD HAI-SF and BDI scores were significantly higher in patients with FMS = than in controls=. HAI-SF scores were 23.50 ± 10.78 and 9.38 ± 4.24 respectively; BDI scores were 18.64 ± 10.11 and 6.21 ± 4.05 respectively. There were highly significant correlations between FIQ and HAI-SF, FIQ and BDI, and HAI-SF and BDI. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with FMS had significantly higher HAI-SF and BDI scores than healthy controls. Psychiatric support is essential for patients with FMS. Treatment should include biological, psychological and social approaches.

Evaluation of etiological factors in patients with chronic urticaria.

In the last few decades, increasing understanding of the pathomechanisms involved in chronic urticaria has highlighted the heterogeneity of different subtypes, and chronic urticaria is now classified as chronic spontaneous urticaria and inducible urticaria. Although many factors are thought to be involved in chronic urticaria, the etiology is yet to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to investigate etiological factors in patients with chronic urticaria. Five hundred patients with chronic urticaria, 351 women and 149 men, were studied for etiological factors. The autologous serum skin test was performed on 197 patients. Provocation testing for physical urticaria was performed on 354 patients. Patients with acute urticaria were excluded from the study. We determined at least one focus of infection that might be involved in the etiology of the disease in 18.8% of cases. Patients with infections were treated, and symptoms resolved after treatment in six cases (5.3%). Autologous serum skin tests were positive in 125 patients (63.5%). Provocation tests for physical urticaria were positive in 131 (37%) patients with urticaria. We suggest that physical stimuli and autoantibodies play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of urticaria.

Coexistence of anxiety sensitivity and psychiatric comorbidities in patients with chronic tinnitus.

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus refers to the objective or subjective perception of a series of sounds most frequently described as ringing in the ear or within the head itself. Anxiety and depressive disorders frequently accompany this complaint. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of psychiatric symptoms and the degree of anxiety sensitivity in patients with chronic tinnitus. METHODS: Fifty patients with chronic tinnitus who had been followed up for at least 6 months or longer were enrolled in this study. All subjects completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3), Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Symptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaires. Fifty healthy volunteers were given the same tests and a statistical comparison of the psychometric outcome data was done for subjects with and without chronic tinnitus. RESULTS: Patients with chronic tinnitus demonstrated higher statistically meaningful scores than the healthy group. Comparison between chronic tinnitus group and control group scores showed that patient group has a high rate of statistically significant results than controls; ASI-3, STAI-2, SCL-90-R GSI, SCL-90-R Somatization, SCL-90-R Depression, SCL-90-R Anxiety (z=-8.00, P<0.01), SCL-90-R Phobic Anxiety. CONCLUSION: Higher scores for anxiety sensitivity and other psychiatric symptoms in patients with chronic tinnitus reflects the prevalence of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, somatoform disorder, and chronic tinnitus. The finding of more psychiatric comorbidity in patients with chronic tinnitus indicates that planning and follow-up in both otolaryngology and psychiatry is necessary to improve the overall results of treatment.

Personality traits and common psychiatric conditions in adult patients with acne vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: We believe that instances of neuroticism and common psychiatric disorders are higher in adults with acne vulgaris than the normal population. OBJECTIVE: Instances of acne in adults have been increasing in frequency in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate personality traits and common psychiatric conditions in patients with adult acne vulgaris. METHODS: Patients who visited the dermatology outpatient clinic at Bozok University Medical School with a complaint of acne and who volunteered for this study were included. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL 90-R) Global Symptom Index (GSI), somatization, depression, and anxiety subscales and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (EPQ-RSF) were administered to 40 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria before treatment. The results were compared with those of a control group. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients included in this study, 34 were female and 6 were male. The GSI and the somatization, depression, and anxiety subscales of the SCL 90-R were evaluated. Patients with adult acne had statistically significant higher scores than the control group on all of these subscales. In addition, patients with adult acne had statistically significantly higher scores on the neuroticism subscale of the EPQ-RSF. CONCLUSION: Our results show that common psychiatric conditions are frequent in adult patients with acne. More importantly, neurotic personality characteristics are observed more frequently in these patients. These findings suggest that acne in adults is a disorder that has both medical and psychosomatic characteristics and requires a multi-disciplinary approach.