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Improvement of subjective work performance among obstructive sleep apnea patients after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure
Author(s) -
Ulfberg Jan,
Jonsson Roine,
Edling Christer
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1819.1999.00625.x
Subject(s) - continuous positive airway pressure , obstructive sleep apnea , medicine , polysomnography , apnea , excessive daytime sleepiness , anesthesia , sleep apnea , physical therapy , sleep disorder , insomnia , psychiatry
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a significant problem for some patients presenting with snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. The ‘golden standard’ therapy in OSAS is considered to be nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The effects of CPAP on work performance in sleep apnoics has not been studied previously. One hundred and fifty‐two patients with OSAS participated in an open label study. The patients were diagnosed as suffering from severe OSAS after they underwent overnight polysomnography showing that their apnea indexes were at least 20. The participants answered four questions concerning self‐perceived work performance prior to and after using CPAP during 6 months. There were highly statistically significant decreases ( P < 0.1) in work performance difficulties as graded by the patient. The results of this study indicate that CPAP treatment improves subjective work performance in patients suffering from OSAS.