Treatment outcomes and compliance according to obesity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess treatment outcomes and compliance according to obesity among groups of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) receiving different treatments. A total of 297 patients with OSA treated between 2006 and 2009 underwent pre- and post-treatment polysomnography. One hundred and fifty-one patients were treated with continuous airway positive pressure (CPAP), 76 with mandible advancement device (MAD), and 70 with oropharyngeal surgery. All patients were classified according to obesity. Treatment success rate and compliance of CPAP were analyzed according to obesity. For each treatment modality, the overall treatment success rate was not significantly different between obese and non-obese patients. However, the oxygen desaturation index was different in patients who were treated with MAD and surgery. Additionally, obese patients with severe OSA showed an unfavorable response to CPAP treatment. For CPAP compliance, obese patients showed a tendency to be highly compliant with CPAP treatment at 12 months than non-obese patients. This study showed that obesity might be a factor in determining the success or failure of treatment. Additionally, obesity may be a predictive factor to determine CPAP compliance.