title: Effect of obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis on health related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perceived Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is impaired in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To our knowledge, no study has analyzed the effect of OSA diagnosis communication on HRQoL. We evaluated self-perceived HRQoL in patients afferent to our sleep center, in order to examine the effect of the diagnosis disclosure on their HRQoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred ninety-seven consecutive outpatients (227 M) (mean age 54.1 ± 11.6 yrs, range 23-80 yrs) were evaluated, before first clinical visit and nocturnal diagnostic examination (Time A), and after diagnosis disclosure (Time B), with two self-reported questionnaires for HRQoL assessment: Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI), consisting of anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health, vitality subscales, and 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), comprising Physical (PCS) and Mental Component Summaries (MCS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison of mean HRQoL scores at Time A with reference values, showed worse scores. Mean PGWBI Total and subscales scores improved at Time B. Similar improvement was observed for SF-12 MCS (p = 0.0148), but nor for SF-12 PCS. At Time B, Anxiety, Depression and Well-being PGWBI subscales became similar to reference values, while the scores in the other PGWBI subscales and SF-12 remained worse. Comparison between males and females showed higher HRQoL values for males at both times. Score changes were independent from age, gender, BMI, AHI, TSat90 and excessive daytime sleepiness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diagnosis communication improves patients' HRQoL, regardless of the severity. Changes in HRQoL after diagnosis disclosure may be due to patients' motivation for medical check and diagnostic expectations.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. iacono@ibim.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Serena Iacono
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Isidoro
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. salvaggio@ibim.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salvaggio
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. lobue@ibim.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lo Bue
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. romano@ibim.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. marrone@ibim.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Marrone
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy. insalaco@ibim.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Insalaco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult