Surgical intervention represents a feasible option for patients with mild obstructive sleep apnoea.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with mild obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) depict the disease as being detrimental to their health, causing significant symptoms. These patients were found to achieve significant improvements in OSA-related symptoms after surgical intervention.

OBJECTIVES

Although the effects of surgical treatment on OSA have been encouraging in many previous studies, little is known about its effects in patients with mild OSA. The aim of our study was to assess the evolution of symptoms experienced by mild OSA patients after surgical intervention.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

This was an observational follow-up study in a university hospital in Finland. The change in daytime and night-time symptoms was assessed by a standardized questionnaire before treatment and after a mean follow-up time of 3 years in both operative and control groups in 81 adult patients with mild OSA.

RESULTS

At the follow-up, the control group experienced significantly more daytime sleepiness (p<0.001) compared with the operative group. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) for daytime sleepiness was 0.05 (95% CI 0.01-0.25, p<0.001) in operatively treated patients as compared with control patients, with improvement of witnessed apnoeas (p<0.001) and sleep quality (p=0.033). The OR for intensive snoring was 0.06 (95% CI 0.02-0.22) in the operative group as compared with the control group.