Clinical and polysomnographic differences between OSAH patients with/without excessive daytime sleepiness

The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical and polysomnographic differences found in patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea (OSAH), with or without excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).

A physical examination, ESS, and polysomnography were applied to all the participants, considering an ESS score of >10 to indicate EDS and an ESS score of ≥ 16 to indicate severe EDS. Univariate (chi-squared or Student's t test) and multivariate (multiple logistic regression) analysis approaches were used. A value of p < .05 was considered statistically significant.

The study covered 151 OSAH patients, including 129 (85 %) male patients, 66 (44 %) with EDS and 23 (21 %) with severe EDS. In the univariate analysis of demographic and polysomnographic variables, a comparison between patients without and with EDS showed that the latter had a larger neck circumference, maximum O2 desaturation, and increased sleep time at <90 % O2 saturation, with significant statistical differences. In the multivariate analysis, this statistical significance disappears. A comparison between patients without EDS and with severe EDS did not reveal differences in demographic or polysomnographic variables.

Patients with OSAH and ESD showed more hypoxemia, but we did not find significant differences between OSAH patients with or without EDS.