Long-term follow-up study on patients with sleep apnea syndrome

We did a 5-year follow-up study on sleep apnea syndrome (SAS)-related symptoms and respiratory disorder variables on 109 patients. At follow up, SAS-related symptoms were improved in a significantly higher percentage of the treatment success group than the treatment failure group. A significant deterioration of the respiratory disorder variables was recognized only in the patients 40-60 years of age. These results indicate that treatment effect for SAS might be maintained in the long term and that the natural evolution of the disorder might be prominent in middle-aged patients.