Ww. Flemons et W. Tsai, QUALITY-OF-LIFE CONSEQUENCES OF SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING, Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 99(2), 1997, pp. 750-756
Sleep-disordered breathing occurs in approximately 2% to 4% of the adu
lt population and includes conditions in which patients stop breathing
completely (apnea) or have marked reductions in airflow (hypopnea) du
ring sleep. Typical symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, restless
sleep, excessive daytime somnolence, nocturnal enuresis, irritability,
depression, memory deficits, inability to concentrate, and decreased
alertness. The clinically relevant outcomes of these symptoms include
impairment in work efficiency, increased automobile accident rates, an
d decrements in quality of life. Treatment of sleep apnea, primarily w
ith continuous positive airway pressure, reduces sleepiness and improv
es mood disturbances, neurocognition, and performance. Traditional mea
surements of sleep apnea severity do not correlate well with current t
ests and scales that are used to quantify alterations in alertness, pe
rformance, quality of life, or sleepiness. A disease-specific quality
of life scale has been developed following patient and physician inter
views and literature reviews. The Calgary Sleep Apnea Quality of Life
Index is expected to capture aspects of quality of life important to s
leep apnea patients, such as cognitive function, performance, and mood
, that could be improved with appropriate treatment of sleep-disordere
d breathing.