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Nasal Surgery Associated With Improvements in Quality of Life for Those With Sleep Apnea |
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CHICAGO -- Nasal
surgery to remove obstructions from the airway is associated with improvements
in quality of life for patients with obstructive sleep apnea and symptoms of
nasal blockages, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of
Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. |
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by episodes of partial or
complete blockage of the airway during sleep, leading to snoring and daytime
sleepiness, according to background information in the article. Blockage of the
nasal passages also is common in OSA patients, causing fragmented sleep and
leading to daytime tiredness and poor quality of life.
Hsueh-Yu Li, M.D., of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, and
colleagues assessed 51 consecutive patients with OSA (50 men and one woman,
average age 39) and symptoms of nasal obstruction who underwent nasal surgery as
initial treatment. Patients completed questionnaires assessing their symptoms,
sleepiness, snoring and overall quality of life before and three months after
the procedure. |
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Following surgery, symptoms of nasal obstruction improved significantly, and
marked improvement was apparent on scales measuring snoring and sleepiness. A
slight improvement also was seen in overall health status. 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, the authors write. 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. (Arch
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;134[4]:429-433. Available pre-embargo to
the media at http://www.jamamedia.org/.)
Editor's Note: Please see the article
for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and
affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives
Media Relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262). |
| Source: http://jama.ama-assn.org/ |
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