RESUMO
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.
