Quality of life, fatigue, anxiety and depression among Egyptian patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Background Sleep disorders have their well-documented deleterious effect on quality of life (QoL). The QoL impairment cannot be detected by polysomnography, which is the gold standard diagnostic tool for diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Objective This study aimed at the evaluation of QoL, fatigue, depression and anxiety in OSA patients. Relation of QoL to disease severity and sex differences was assessed. Correlation of QoL scores to each other was assessed. Patients and methods We used three disease-specific QoL tools, namely the functional outcome of sleepiness questionnaire-10, the sleep apnea quality of life index, and the OSA patient-oriented severity index. Fatigue, anxiety, and depression were estimated using fatigue severity scale and hospital depression and anxiety scale, respectively. Results A total 170 participants were included; of them, 100 were OSA patients and 70 were non-OSA. OSA patients showed significantly lower QoL and more fatigue, depression, and anxiety symptoms in comparison with the non-OSA group, with more impairment of QoL in severe OSA patients. Female patients with OSA showed more QoL impairment. The highest correlation was observed between the sleep apnea quality of life index and the OSA patient-oriented severity index: r=−0.90, P value less than 0.001. Conclusion This study highlighted the significance of QoL, fatigue, anxiety and depression assessment in OSA patients, especially in those with severe disease.