DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i05.073

Pages: 2256-2258

Most of the times the etiology of sinusitis is typically viral, but it may also be bacterial or fungal. Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a relatively new and incompletely understood clinical entity with characteristic clinical, radiographic, and histopathological findings. Fungal sinusitis especially occurs in immunocompromised patients. The management of these types of patients is challenging. The present study was done to study the knowledge and awareness of the ENT practitioners and general medical practitioners. The study was done with the help of specially prepared questionnaire among ENT practitioners and the general medical practitioners. A total of 12 questions were formulated and validated by doing pilot study on 5 practitioners from each group. A total of 15 ENT practitioners and 43 general medical practitioners were included in the present study. The questionnaire were consisted of knowledge and awareness regarding sinusitis, types of sinusitis, allergic fungal sinusitis, the routes of transmission, precautions to be taken, various risk factors, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, complications associated with fungal sinusitis, treatment available for the fungal sinusitis, etc. The ENT practitioners were found to have more knowledge and awareness than the general medical practitioners and the difference was found to be statistically significant. The study had shown the knowledge and awareness of allergic fungal sinusitis was more among ENT practitioners than general practitioners. The knowledge and awareness of the general medical practitioners should be increased regarding allergic fungal sinusitis.