Nasal Surgery Associated With Improvements In Quality Of Life For People With Sleep Apnea

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Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Also Included In: Ear, Nose and Throat;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 21 Apr 2008 - 13:00 PDT

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Improvements in the quality of life are seen in patients with sleep apnea or other types of nasal blockages who have nasal surgery to remove obstructions from the airway, according to an article released on April 21, 2008 in the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) involves period of sleep in which the patient does not breathe. These episodes of partial or complete blockage of the airway can lead to snoring and daytime sleepiness. Blockage of nasal passages is common in OSA patients, which can also cause fragmented sleep and lead to daytime tiredness and poor quality of life.

To analyze potential therapy of this disorder, Hsueh-Yu Li, M.D., of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, examined 52 consecutive patients with OSA, composed of 50 men and one woman, with an average age of 39. They showed symptoms of nasal obstruction and underwent nasal surgery as initial treatment for this. Questionnaires were completed before and three months after the procedure assessing their symptoms, sleepiness, snoring, and quality of life.

Symptoms of nasal obstruction greatly improved after the nasal surgery, and this was apparent in significant improvement in scales measuring snoring and sleepiness. Additionally, a slight improvement in overall health status was seen.

The authors write that these results indicate a positive direction for nasal surgery for patients suffering from sleep apnea with nasal obstruction. "The degrees of quality of life improvement, compared with the preoperative generic health status, were 30.4 percent for role-emotional [problems with work or daily activities caused by emotional difficulties], 20.7 percent for role-physical, 18.9 percent for vitality, 14.8 percent for mental health, 11.4 percent for generic health, 7.4 percent for social functioning, 1.6 percent for physical functioning and 1 percent for bodily pain."

They continue, indicating that this has ramifications on overall quality of life. "These results suggest that, when nasal obstruction in OSA patients was relieved, their generic health improved and that the effects were especially remarkable in reducing role limitations caused by physical or emotional problems."

"Our findings substantiate the role of nasal surgery in treating nasal obstruction among OSA patients," they conclude.

Improvement in Quality of Life After Nasal Surgery Alone for Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Nasal Obstruction
Hsueh-Yu Li; Ying Lin; Ning-Hung Chen; Li-Ang Lee; Tuan-Jen Fang; Pa-Chun Wang
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;134(4):429-433.
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Written by Anna Sophia McKenney
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