Effects of Surgical Treatment for Allergic Rhinitis on Sleep and Mental Health in Adolescents

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic condition that is usually treated medically. Adolescents form a unique population in which AR-associated symptoms are greater than those in adults or children, and are closely related to sleep and mental disorders. In the current study, a retrospective analysis was performed to illustrate the surgical effects of AR symptoms on sleep and mental disorders in adolescents. In 81 adolescents with AR symptoms refractory to medical management, the severity of the AR symptoms was correlated with that of sleep or mental disorders. As a standard surgical procedure, submucosal bony resection of inferior turbinates with posterior nasal neurectomy was performed and half of the subjects underwent septoplasty due to severe deviation of the nasal septum. The degree of improvement in AR-associated symptoms by surgical treatment was correlated with that of mental disorders in adolescent patients who had sleep and mental disorders preoperatively. Considering the impact of AR symptoms on the quality of life of adolescents, surgical treatment can be a potent option for the treatment of AR refractory to medical management in this population.