Objectives: We investigated the psychopathological
condition of patients with chronic pharyngitis.
Patients and Methods: The study included 27
patients (23 females, 4 males; mean age 41.7±10.4
years; range 21 to 63 years) who had persistent symptoms
of chronic pharyngitis for more than six months,
without any evidence for an acute infection on ENT
examination and routine tests. Twenty-seven healthy
subjects (23 females, 4 males; mean age 41.8±11.9
years) without any symptoms of chronic pharyngitis and
a previous diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder formed
the control group. All the patients and controls were
assessed by a psychiatrist with the use of the Structural
Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID).
Results: All the patients were diagnosed to have Axis I
psychopathology. The most frequent pathologies were
somatisation disorder (n=8, 29.6%) and dysthymic disorder
(n=8). Five individuals (15.6%) in the control
group received psychiatric diagnoses. Psychiatric disorders
were 6.4 times more frequent in the patient
group (p=0.00, CI=2.86-14.31). No significant differences
were observed between the patient and control
groups with respect to educational and occupational
levels (p=0.263 and p=0.362), respectively).
Comparisons with respect to risk factors associated
with chronic pharyngitis showed no significant differences
between the two groups.
Conclusion: We suggest that patients frequently
presenting to ENT departments with repeated symptoms
of chronic pharyngitis should also receive psychiatric
assessment and support.
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Anahtar Kelimeler: Mental hastalık/tanı; farenjit/psikoloji;psikolojik testler.