Supervisors info:
Σπυρίδων Ζακυνθινός, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Παρασκευή Κατσαούνου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ελένη Λουτράρη, ΕΔΙΠ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Sleep apnea is a common disease, some predisposing factors of this disease, are obesity, male gender, old age, smoking and alcohol consumption. The most important pathophysiological consequence of sleep apnea are electroencephalographic awakenings and episodes of intermittent hypoxemia, which stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and, in combination with changes in intrathoracic pressure, lead to an increase in blood pressure and sleep fragmentation. Sleep fragmentation, sympathetic discharges, and intermittent hypoxemia lead in the long term to sleep apnea disorders such as increased cardiovascular risk and daytime symptomatology, mainly sleepiness.
In this study of newly-diagnosed patients with sleep apnea with polypnography in the sleep laboratory our scope was to examine, initially, the occurrence of symptoms in patients who had a pathological sleep apnea index and then the presence or absence of symptoms in patients without sleep apnea. In the literature, patients with sleep apnea without sleepiness are often referred to as having asymptomatic sleep apnea. Of the 312 patients who were admitted during one year and agreed to participate in the research protocol, 280 were diagnosed with a sleep apnea index greater than or equal to five.
In these patients, a detailed history was obtained, a clinical examination was performed, and the Epworth scale questionnaire was completed. During history taking, demographic data, anthropometric data, health behaviors, medication as well as possible co-existing conditions were recorded. The Epworth scale questionnaire was completed by all participants in Greek according to the certified Greek translation. A score greater than 10 on the Epworth scale was considered as pathological daytime sleepiness.
116 people (41.4%) were classified as sleepy and 164 people (58.6%) as non-sleepy. In terms of symptomatology, it appears in general that sleepiness is a frequent daily symptom, however, the percentages of other symptoms are also important.