Epworth sleepiness scale in obstructive sleep disordered breathing: the reliability and validity of the Thai version

• Published in: Sleep & breathing 2011-09, Vol.15 (3), p.571-577
• Main Authors: Banhiran, Wish, Assanasen, Paraya, Nopmaneejumruslers, Cherdchai, Metheetrairut, Choakchai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentistry; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence - diagnosis; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence - epidemiology; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence - therapy; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Original Article; Otorhinolaryngology; Pediatrics; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Reliability; Reproducibility of Results; Sleep apnea; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - epidemiology; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - therapy; Sleep disorders; Sleep. Vigilance; Snoring - diagnosis; Snoring - epidemiology; Snoring - therapy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Thailand; Translating; Validity; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 1520-9512; 1522-1709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11325-010-0405-9

Purposes The objectives of this study are to test the reliability and validity of the Thai version of the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and to assess the relationship between the ESS score and the severity of obstructive sleep disordered breathing. Methods A total of 228 subjects (149 males and 79 females) were recruited. In order to check the discriminant validity of the ESS, we included 32 healthy volunteers and 39 patients with primary snoring to be the control groups and 126 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) confirmed by full polysomnography to be the disease groups. The test–retest reliability was investigated in 71 subjects. To check the responsiveness properties of the questionnaire, we asked a separate group of 31 patients who were successfully treated with either continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or upper airway surgery to complete the ESS before and after treatment at 3–6 months. Results The internal consistency demonstrated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for standardized item was 0.87 and a range from 0.84 to 0.86 if some items were deleted. The test–retest reliability was shown by intra-class correlation coefficients of 0.79. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean of the ESS scores of the control groups (6.1 ± 3.0) and the OSA patients (9.9 ± 5.3) ( p