Verbesserung der gesundheitsspezifischen Lebensqualit�t unter CPAP-Therapie bei Patienten mit obstruktivem Schlafapnoesyndrom

Abstract

Only poor data regarding changes in quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) under continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy concerning long-term effects are available. In this study, 85 patients were evaluated before and under CPAP therapy using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Quality of Life, the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and the Quality of Life Index (QL-Index). The results of patients with continuous usage of CPAP (n = 66) were compared with a control group of patients who discontinued CPAP therapy (n = 19). VAS (before CPAP 56.9 +/- 27.0, under CPAP 67.2 +/- 21.8 mm; p = 0.027) as well as the NHP dimensions "Energy" (before CPAP 44.2 +/- 39.5, under CPAP 25.0 +/- 34.2 points; p < 0.001), "Emotional reactions" (before CPAP 24.7 +/- 22.5, under CPAP 11.8 +/- 18.8 points; p < 0,001), and "Sleep problems" (before CPAP 32.0 + 30.0, under CPAP 21.5 + 27.2 points; p = 0.005) showed a significant improvement after 16 +/- 9-month follow-up. In the control group, none of the instruments displayed a significant change. A correlation between CPAP compliance (mask hours) and changes in quality of life was not detected. Thus, even suboptimal CPAP usage might bring benefit regarding quality of life. As not all health-related instruments or dimensions were able to display the effects on quality of life, there is a need to translate and validate disease-specific instruments into the German language.