When sleep fails: the functional impact of obstructive sleep apnea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34631/sporl.3096Keywords:
obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, snoring, functionality, functional capacity, functional impact, FOSQ-30Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the correlation between the functional impact of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) and body mass index (BMI), neck circumference (NC), apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), Epworth scale (ESS), and visual analog scale for snoring (VAS).
STUDY DESIGN: Observational retrospective study.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with OSA between 2020-2024. The functional impact was measured by the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire-30(FOSQ-30).
RESULTS: Out of 64 patients, 69% (n = 44) were men and 81% (n = 52) had mild/moderate OSA. A negative correlation was found between the FOSQ-30 and ESS (r = -0,673; p < 0.001) and VAS (r = -0,280; p = 0,025). There was no statistical significance in correlations with BMI, NC, and AHI, as well as between patients with mild, moderate and severe OSAS.
CONCLUSIONS: Daytime sleepiness and the intensity of snoring are the main predictors of functional impact in patients with OSA, regardless of polysomnographic severity. Therefore, we should integrate functional and symptomatic scales into the clinical evaluation of these patients, in order to understand the real impact of this condition on their quality of life.
Downloads
References
1. Veasey SC, Rosen IM. Obstructive sleep apnea in adults. N Engl J Med. 2019 Apr 11;380(15):1442-1449. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1816152.
2. Benjafield AV, Ayas NT, Eastwood PR, Heinzer R, Ip MSM, Morrell MJ. et al. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. Lancet Respir Med. 2019 Aug;7(8):687-698. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30198-5.
3. Kim S, Lee KY, Siddiquee AT, Kim HJ, Nam HR, Ko CS. et al. Gender differences in association between expiratory dynamic airway collapse and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Eur Radiol. 2024 Jun;34(6):3730-3741. doi: 10.1007/s00330-023-10322-x.
4. Romero-Corral A, Caples SM, Lopez-Jimenez F, Somers VK. Interactions between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: implications for treatment. Chest. 2010 Mar;137(3):711-9. doi: 10.1378/chest.09-0360.
5. Abbasi A, Gupta SS, Sabharwal N, Meghrajani V, Sharma S, Kamholz S. et al. A comprehensive review of obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Sci. 2021 Apr-Jun;14(2):142-154. doi: 10.5935/1984-0063.20200056.
6. Weaver TE, Laizner AM, Evans LK, Maislin G, Chugh DK, Lyon K. et al. An Instrument to measure functional status outcomes for disorders of excessive sleepiness. Sleep [Internet]. 1997 Oct 1 [cited 2025 Apr 6];20(10):835–43. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sleep/20.10.835
7. Chasens ER, Ratcliffe SJ, Weaver TE. Development of the FOSQ-10: a short version of the functional outcomes of sleep questionnaire. Sleep. 2009 Jul;32(7):915-9. doi: 10.1093/sleep/32.7.915.
8. Walia HK, Thompson NR, Katzan I, Foldvary-Schaefer N, Moul DE, Mehra R. Impact of sleep-disordered breathing treatment on quality of life measures in a large clinic-based cohort. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Nov 15;13(11):1255-1263. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6792.
9. Johns M, Hocking B. Daytime sleepiness and sleep habits of Australian workers. Sleep. 1997 Oct;20(10):844-9. doi: 10.1093/sleep/20.10.844.
10. Bjornsdottir E, Keenan BT, Eysteinsdottir B, Arnardottir ES, Janson C, Gislason T. et al. Quality of life among untreated sleep apnea patients compared to the general population and changes after treatment with positive airway pressure. J Sleep Res. 2015 Jun;24(3):328-38. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12262.
11. Iannella G, Magliulo G, Lo Iacono CAM, Visconti IC, Lechien JR, Perrone T. et al. Quality of life and excessive daytime sleepiness in adults with obstructive sleep apnea who are treated with multilevel surgery or adherent to continuous positive airway pressure. J Clin Med. 2022 Apr 23;11(9):2375. doi: 10.3390/jcm11092375.
12. Rangarajan H, Padmanabhan S, Ranganathan S, Kailasam V. Impact of oral appliance therapy on quality of life (QoL) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea - a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Breath. 2022 Sep;26(3):983-996. doi: 10.1007/s11325-021-02483-0.
13. Che-Morales JL, Carrillo-Alduenda JL. Functional outcomes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea residing in Southeastern Mexico. Sleep Med Res 2022; 13(3): 132-139. doi.org/10.17241/smr.2022.01473
14. Silva GE, Goodwin JL, Vana KD, Quan SF. Obstructive sleep apnea and quality of life: comparison of the SAQLI, FOSQ, and SF-36 questionnaires. Southwest J Pulm Crit Care. 2016;13(3):137-149. doi: 10.13175/swjpcc082-16.
15. Goncalves MA, Paiva T, Ramos E, Guilleminault C. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, sleepiness, and quality of life. Chest. 2004 Jun;125(6):2091-6. doi: 10.1378/chest.125.6.2091.
16. Izci B, Firat H, Ardiç S, Köktürk O, Gelir E, Altinörs M. Adaptation of functional outcomes of sleep questionnaire (FOSQ) to Turkish population. Tuberk Toraks. 2004;52(3):224-30.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 João Rainha Fernandes, Daniela Serras, Luís Rio Rodrigues, João Barbosa, Constança Oom, Carlos Macor
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
