Self-reported use of CPAP and benefits of CPAP therapy : A patient survey

The benefits of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) are poorly documented and patients use CPAP less than physicians recommend. To establish patients' perceptions of benefit from CPAP and to identify determinants of CPAP use, 204 CPAP users completed a questionnaire relating to use of CPAP therapy, sleepiness, and road traffic incident rate before and after CPAP, perceived change in daytime function and nocturnal symptoms with treatment, and problems with CPAP. Variables from these domains of interest were examined, reduced through principal components analysis and correlated to assess associations between these and polysomnographic measures of illness severity. Self-reported CPAP use averaged 5.8 +/- SD 2 h a night. Subjective sleepiness rated by the Epworth sleepiness scale and road traffic incident rate were significantly reduced by CPAP (p