Prevalence and Determinants of Sinus Problems in Farm and Non-Farm Populations of Rural Saskatchewan, Canada

Ayami Kajiwara-Morita,Donna Rennie,Shelley Kirychuk,Ambikaipakan Senthilselvan,Punam Pahwa,James Dosman,Roland Dyck,Niels Koehncke,Saskatchewan Rural Health Study Research Team ,Joshua Lawson,Chandima Karunanayake

doi:10.3390/sinusitis3010002

Ayami Kajiwara-Morita, Donna Rennie + Show 9 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/sinusitis3010002

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Journal: Sinusitis	Publication Date: Feb 7, 2018
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Kumamoto University, University of Saskatchewan

Abstract

Although sinus problems have long been recognized as the most common respiratory symptoms associated with agricultural work, there is a scarcity of recent studies and/or reliable estimates as to the true prevalence or risk factors of sinus problems related to farming. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sinus problems in farming and non-farming rural populations and further investigate the association of individual (for example life-style, occupational), contextual (e.g., environmental), and important covariates (e.g., age, sex) with sinus problems. A large-scale cross-sectional study was conducted in farm and non-farm residents of rural Saskatchewan, Canada. A logistic regression model based on a generalized estimating equations approach were fitted to investigate the risk factors of sinus problems. Sinus problems were reported by 2755 (34.0%) of the 8101 subjects. Farm residents were more likely to spend their first year of life on farm compared with non-farm residents, and indicated a significantly lower risk of sinus problems. Meanwhile, occupational exposure to solvent and mold were associated with an increased risk of sinus problems. Some health conditions such as allergy and stomach acidity/reflux, family history, and female sex were also related to a higher risk of sinus problems. Farm residents had a significantly lower risk of sinus problems than non-farm residents, likely due to the exposure to farm specific environments in their early life.

Highlights

Sinus problems including rhinitis and sinusitis are among the most common medical conditions, which can significantly decrease quality of life, aggravate comorbid conditions such as asthma, and require significant direct medical expenditures [1,2,3,4,5]
A similar tendency was observed in the interaction between stomach acidity/reflux and ear infection and in that between hay fever and ear infection as shown in Figure 1d,e, respectively. In this large-scale cross-sectional study, we found living on a farm to be associated with a lower risk of sinus problems, whereas some other environmental and occupational exposures, health conditions such as allergy and stomach acidity/reflux, family history of lung disease, and female sex were associated with a higher risk of sinus problems
The association between birth weight and sinus problems completely differed depending on whether subjects were with or without stomach acidity/reflux; lower birth weight represented an increased risk in the subjects without reflux but a decreased risk in the subjects with reflux compared with normal birth weight

Summary

Introduction

Sinus problems including rhinitis and sinusitis are among the most common medical conditions, which can significantly decrease quality of life, aggravate comorbid conditions such as asthma, and require significant direct medical expenditures [1,2,3,4,5]. They create even greater indirect costs to society by causing lost work and schooldays and reduced workplace productivity and school learning [2,3]. Some studies failed to identify this protective effect [16]

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