Evaluation of quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder affecting quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of Quality of Life (QOL) in patients with OSA by means of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. This study was conducted on adult patients with sleep problems referred to Noor Sleep Lab for an overnight sleep study. Subjects were assessed for QOL using WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) was also employed to assess excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Baseline characteristics, ESS, and measured QOL are reported and their correlations with QOL were examined. Out of 502 patients included in the study, 62.7 % had moderate to severe OSA. The mean score of QOL in physical domain was significantly lower compared with normative population data. While AHI did not show any correlation with quality of life, mean O(2) was weakly correlated with physical domain. Among the baseline characteristics, BMI and ESS were negatively correlated with physical and mental domains. Findings of this study show the impairment in quality of life related to physical functioning in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Our study further supports the lack of association between AHI and QOL.