[Quality of life before and during nCPAP]

The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is accompanied by an impairment of patients' condition during the day. The latter, in turn, is a decisive criterion quality of life. The instruments employed for data gathering, objectification and observation of the course of therapy are questionnaires. Questionnaires like Satisfaction With Life Scale SWLS: for global quality of life; Münchner Lebensqualitäts-Dimensionen-Liste MLDL and Short Form-36 of the Health Survey SF-36: for specific areas of life quality are often used. The purpose of this study is to clarify, to what extent and in which areas quality of life of OSAS patients improves both after initiation of therapy and under long-term therapy. By comparing effect size the value for effectiveness of therapy can be estimated. Thus, 41 OSAS patients and 40 controls were given an extensive set of tests addressing parameters of both sleep and quality of life. Testing of global quality of life with the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) did not reveal any significant difference between the controls and the OSAS patients. In specific araeas of life quality, 2 (of 4) subscales (Physical satisfaction: p = 0.003; Psychological satisfaction: p = 0.001) of the Münchner Lebensqualitäts-Dimensionen-Liste (MLDL) showed differences between the controls and the OSAS patients. For the Short Form-36 of the Health Survey (SF-36), 7 (of 8) subscales indicated significant differences between this groups (except for Emotional Role Function). The comparison of the effect size revealed the strongest effect in the subscale vitality of the SF-36 after more than 6 months (0.93). Good effect sizes were found in the domains Physical satisfaction (0.70) and Psychological satisfaction of the MLDL (0.56). In conclusion the MLDL is in consideration of its simple performance and evaluation compared with the SF-36 the better instrument in the clinical routine for the coverage of improved Quality of Life through a nCPAP therapy.