Quality of Life in Bed Partners of Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea or Hypopnea After Treatment With Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

• Published in: Chest Vol. 124; no. 3; pp. 942 - 947
• Main Authors: Parish, James M., Lyng, Philip J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Northbrook, IL Elsevier Inc 01.09.2003; American College of Chest Physicians
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Adult; Aged; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Arizona; Biological and medical sciences; Continuous positive airway pressure; continuous positive airway pressure therapy; Emergency and intensive respiratory care; Epworth sleepiness scale; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Surveys; Humans; Intensive care medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Middle Aged; obstructive sleep apnea; Patients; Polysomnography; Positive-Pressure Respiration - psychology; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Questionnaires; short form 36; Sick Role; Sickness Impact Profile; Sleep apnea; sleep apnea syndromes; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - psychology; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - therapy; Sleep disorders; Spouses - psychology; Arizona; Canada; Calgary Alberta Canada; obstructive sleep apnea; short form 36; sleep apnea syndromes; continuous positive airway pressure therapy; quality of life; Epworth sleepiness scale; Human; Assisted ventilation; Respiratory disease; Continuous; Sleep disorder; Respiratory intensive care; Quality of life; Apnea; Sleep; Treatment; Positive pressure; Spouse; Technique
• ISSN: 0012-3692; 1931-3543
• DOI: 10.1378/chest.124.3.942

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been shown to affect the quality of life (QOL) in patients, and QOL improves after treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, the effects on the bed partner of the patient with OSA have received little attention. We studied QOL in patients with OSA and their bed partners, and the effect of CPAP therapy on QOL. Fifty-four patients and their bed partners who had been seen for evaluation of OSA, had undergone polysomnography, and subsequently had received treatment with CPAP. Patients and bed partners completed the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and QOL questionnaires before and after the patients’ therapy. Sleep disorders center in an academic medical center. Patients with documented OSA and regular bed partners. Both individuals completed the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), the ESS, and the Calgary sleep apnea quality of life index (SAQLI). At about 6 weeks after CPAP therapy, patients and their bed partners completed the same set of questionnaires again. Of the 54 subjects who completed the study, the mean (± SD) apnea-hypopnea index was 48.4 ± 33.3. For the subjects, the mean ESS decreased from 12.9 ± 4.4 to 7.3 ± 4.0 (p < 0.001) after treatment with CPAP. For the bed partners, the mean ESS decreased from 7.4 ± 6.1 to 5.8 ± 4.7 (p = 0.02). The mean scores on the SAQLI were 4.1 ± 1.0 for the subjects and 4.5 ± 1.3 for the bed partners. Following CPAP therapy, the SAQLI increased in the subjects to 4.9 ± 1.2 (p < 0.001), and in the bed partners to 5.1 ± 0.9 (p = 0.002). The SF-36 showed positive changes in both the subjects and the bed partners. Significant improvements were observed in the subjects in role-physical, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health domains. In the bed partners, significant changes in the SF-36 were observed in role-physical, vitality, social functioning, and mental health domains. OSA results in impaired QOL in both the patients and their bed partners. Treatment with CPAP improves QOL, as measured by the SF-36 and the SAQLI.