Depression, physical activity, energy consumption, and quality of life in OSA patients before and after CPAP treatment

• Published in: Sleep & breathing 2013-12, Vol.17 (4), p.1159-1168
• Main Authors: Diamanti, C., Manali, E., Ginieri-Coccossis, M., Vougas, K., Cholidou, K., Markozannes, E., Bakakos, P., Liappas, I., Alchanatis, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - classification; Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Airway management; Biological and medical sciences; Continuous positive airway pressure; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - psychology; Dentistry; Depression; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Depressive Disorder - therapy; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Energy Metabolism; Exercise; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Motor Activity; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Original Article; Otorhinolaryngology; Pediatrics; Pneumology; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Polysomnography; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; Sleep apnea; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - psychology; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - therapy; Sleep. Vigilance; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 1520-9512; 1522-1709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11325-013-0815-6

Background A variety of studies have demonstrated improvement in quality of life and depressive symptoms in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. However, very little is known about the effect of OSA treatment on physical activity and energy consumption. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in depression, physical activity, energy expenditure, and quality of life (QoL) in OSA patients before and after CPAP therapy. Methods Forty-one patients with OSA as revealed by polysomnography, were included to the study. They responded to the generic World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL) questionnaire, to the specific-disease Quebec Sleep Questionnaire, and to Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in order to evaluate QoL and the incidence of depression. In addition, all patients wore an accelerometer which measured physical activity and energy expenditure during a week. At least 6 months after initiation of CPAP treatment (mean time, 9 months) we re-examined 24 patients who met the compliance with the treatment criteria. Results Patients after CPAP therapy had significantly higher scores in all domains of the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire and in the domains of physical health/level of independence and psychological health/spirituality of the WHOQoL. Depression scores were also better in CES-D after treatment. However, despite the improvement in QoL and psychological status, CPAP therapy had no impact on physical activity and energy expenditure. Conclusions CPAP therapy improves QoL and lessens depressive symptoms in our group of well-treated OSA patients. However, physical activity and energy expenditure did not present statistically significant improvement in the same group of OSA patients.