The quality of life of suspected obstructive sleep apnea patients is related to their subjective sleep quality rather than the apnea-hypopnea index.
OBJECTIVE
The relationship between the severity of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the quality of life (QOL) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been inconsistent in previous studies. This study aimed to identify the core factor associated with the QOL of suspected OSA patients and to compare the QOL of subjects with OSA and simple snoring (SS).


METHODS
Two hundred eighty-five subjects who were clinically suspected to have OSA underwent nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) and completed self-report questionnaires including the World Health Organization Quality of Life Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The effects of the clinical and PSG variables on the QOL score were analyzed using multiple stepwise regression analyses, and the QOL of OSA and SS groups was compared.


RESULTS
In correlation analyses, the most significant factor that correlated with the QOL of the subjects was the PSQI total score (p < 0.001), while the AHI was not related to the WHOQOL-BREF total score. In multiple linear regression analysis, the PSQI total score was the most significant factor associated with the QOL of participants (p < 0.001). The mean score of the WHOQOL-BREF did not differ significantly between the OSA group and the SS group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the main factor affecting the QOL of suspected OSA subjects is their subjective sleep quality. We therefore conclude that patients with OSA symptoms estimate their QOL based on their subjective sleep perception rather than AHI.
Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, School of Medicine, 21, Namdong-daero 774 beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, 21565, Republic of Korea.
Jae Myeong
JM
Kang
Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, School of Medicine, 21, Namdong-daero 774 beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, 21565, Republic of Korea. kangsg@gachon.ac.kr.
Seung-Gul
SG
Kang
Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, School of Medicine, 21, Namdong-daero 774 beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, 21565, Republic of Korea.
Seong-Jin
SJ
Cho
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Yu Jin
YJ
Lee
Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Heon-Jeong
HJ
Lee
Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Ji-Eun
JE
Kim
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Seung-Heon
SH
Shin
Department of Neurology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Kee Hyung
KH
Park
Department of Otolaryngology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University School of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Seon Tae
ST
Kim
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D000070263:Sleep Hygiene; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Obstructive sleep apnea; Pittsburgh sleep quality index; Quality of life; WHOQOL-BREF