Update on the Costs of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an under-recognized and highly prevalent chronic disease affecting 5–15 % of the population. Recently, there has been a growing awareness of the significant economic burden associated with the long-term medical and surgical management of CRS. In the context of exponentially increasing and unsustainable health care spending, there is an urgent need to better define the costs associated with the care of these patients in order to develop treatment strategies that increase the quality and value of care to patients. This review will provide readers with an introduction to health care costs then discuss the costs associated with the management of CRS, emphasizing key studies that have defined these costs. Understanding the sources of these costs is a crucial first step towards eventually improving the value of care for this ubiquitous chronic inflammatory disease. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.