Veränderungen der subjektiven Einschätzungen der Tagesmüdigkeit im Vergleich mit objektiven Parametern vor und nach CPAP-Therapie

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)is known to cause a variety of dysfunctions.Probably the most important one and the most useful symptom to consider OSA as a diagnosis is an increase in day-time sleepiness. This can lead to restrictions in quality of life and can have serious consequences on the personal, social and work related surroundings of the individual. The aim of this study was to compare a subjective benefit from the standard therapy for OSA named CPAP on one hand with objective parameters on the other hand. There was largely no statistically significant correlation between the subjective experience of the individual and the objective test results (methods used were the vigilance test and the Multiple sleep latency test, MSLT). This was felt to possibly be related firstly to the number of tested individuals (only 27 patiens completed the vigilance test as well as the MSLT) and secondly to the fact that the tested group was highly specified in view of their profession and symptoms. On the other hand the aspect of professional performance did correlate with the average response time in the vigilance test. Accordingly response time at the test was slower for individuals who rated their performance at work at a low level. However, the majority of patients marked the CPAP therapy on a scale fromm "good" to "very good" and felt they gained a decrease in their day-time sleepiness and an improvement in their quality of sleep, their ability to concentrate, their performance at work and their overall quality of life.