Evaluation of non-invasive ventilation compliance in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or obesity hypoventilation syndrome patients: an observational study

Background: Recent times have seen the rise in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome/obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OSAS/OHS) patients across the globe. Availability of sleep study centers, questionnaires, and more awareness have made the diagnosis of OSAS/OHS early. But still, the majority of patients suffer from morbidity associated with OSAS/OHS despite the better diagnosis, the most common cause being non-adherence to (CPAP). This needs to be addressed more vigilantly and with utmost importance for successful management of OSAS/OHS.Methods: This is an observational study, we selected patients by reviewing sleep study records at a tertiary care center (Rohilkhand medical college and hospital) in Bareilly, India. All diagnosed patients with OSAS/OHS (i.e. AHI >5) were telephoned and enquired about symptoms and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) use. They were evaluated using a self-designed questionnaire.Results: In our study, we had total of 49 OSAS/OHS patients with mean age of 50.6 years and mean BMI of 35.63. Male patients were 37 (75.5%) and at the time of diagnosis AHI (mean) was 60.67 events/hour. In NIV users there were 24 patients (48.97%), 22 patients (91.7%) feel they have been benefitted from CPAP and 2 patients (8.3%) do not feel benefit from CPAP (NIV) use. Among NIV users there was significant drop of AHI (mean) to 8.07. Among NIV users there was a reduction in symptoms like excessive day time sleepiness in 18 patients (81.81%), witnessed apnea in 15 patients (88.23%), snoring in 21 patients (91.30%), blood pressure in 3 patients (21.42%), blood sugar levels in 2 patients (20%), morning headache in 5 patients (83.30%), depressive mood in 2 patients (40%), perceived memory loss in 3 patients (33.3%), sense of choking in 17 patients (94.4%) and weight loss in 19 patients (76%).Conclusions: CPAP significantly improves symptoms and provides objective as well as subjective benefit to OSAS/OHS patients but still significant proportion of patients hesitate to initiate the therapy. Poor education/awareness regarding OSAS/OHS and non-availability of affordable CPAP remains the leading cause of non-compliance. There is a need for early education, reinforcement and affordable CPAP therapy