EFFECTS OF A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM ON OVERWEIGHT OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA PATIENTS

Thirty-two obese patients (Body Mass Index (BMI) = 38.5 +/- 3.7) with obstructive sleep apnoea (the average number of oxygen desaturations p er hour of sleep exceeding 4% from the baseline (ODI4)=38.6+/-23.9) un derwent a one-year cognitive-behavioural weight reduction programme wi th a one year follow-up period. The criteria for successful treatment were (i) a decrease in ODI4 to less than 10 and (ii) a decrease in ODI 4 that was greater than 50%. Fourteen (44%) patients were considered t o be, treated successfully at six months. When the patients were group ed according to weight loss 23 patients had lost more than 5 kg; 12 (5 2%) of them belonged to the group treated successfully. At 24 months, however, only three (9%) patients could be regarded as treated success fully and six patients had been transferred to other treatment modes ( Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nCPAP) and uvulopalatophary ngoplasty (UPPP)). The changes in weight correlated with the changes i n ODI4 (r = 0.47 and 0.63 at the 6-month and the 24-month evaluation, respectively).