Quality of Life in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with significant cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality. Usual parameters studied in sleep laboratory are unable to measure overall impact of OSA on human life. Consequently, it is important to measure Quality of Life (QoL) in OSA. QoL can be measured with generic instruments like SF-36 or OSA specific questionnaires like Calgary Sleep Apnea Quality of Life (SAQLI) questionnaire. Most of the studies suggest that there is significant impairment of QoL in patients of OSA. But the present evidence suggests that impairment in QoL is not proportional to severity of OSA. There is no consensus on the question of improvement in QoL with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. A recent Cochrane review concluded that CPAP improves QoL in people with moderate and severe OSA. Key words : Obstructive sleep apnea, Quality of Life, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure