Pneumologie 2017; 71(04): 233-244
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1600141
Abstracts
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

What moves women with snoring and sleep apnea? – Finding the right questions for quality of life (QoL) assessment in female SDB patients

N Netzer
1   Hermann Buhl Institute for Hypoxia and Sleep Medicine Research, Institute of Sports Science, University Innsbruck, Bad Aibling, Germany and Innsbruck Austria
,
R Popp
2   Psychiatric University Hospital, Sleep Disorders Center, Regensburg, Germany
,
S Meinel
3   Primary Care Practice Dr. Meinel, Freiburg, Germany
,
R Grahmann
4   Pulmonary Practice Dr. Grahmann, Amberg, Germany
,
KH Rühle
5   Klinik Ambrock, University Witten Herdecke, Germany
,
KP Strohl
6   Sleep Disorders Research Center, Louis Stokes VA Med. Center, CWRU, Cleveland, OH
,
M Kopp
7   Institute of Sports Science, University Innsbruck, Austria
,
D Riemann
8   Dept. Psychiatry, University Hospitals Freiburg, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
13 April 2017 (online)

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Rationale:

Sex differences are present in all aspects of SDB (1). Womens QoL seems to be more impaired by sleep apnea than mens (2). Actual instruments to specifically measure QoL in sleep breathing disorders like the SAQLI or unspecific instruments like SF 36 contain no gender specific questions. We aimed to find the best questions for specific QoL assessment in female patients with snoring and sleep apnea.

Methods:

On consensus of the investigators a 22 item rating list focusing on specific psycho-social conditions or situations of women was constructed. 102 consecutive consent signing female outpatients (53.4 ± 14.6yrs.) of two different university based sleep disorders centers were asked wether they agree/disagree with the statements listed. 53 of the 102 patients answered to all 22 statements. For evaluation a four step Likert scaling was used: (i) agree, (ii) partially agree, (iii) partially disagree, and (iv) disagree. For descriptive statistical analyses the frequencies of the four Likert categories were computed. High agreement (i) reflected impaired aspects of life quality. For factor analysis of all 22 items, a principal component analysis with Varimax rotations was performed with SPSS (SPSS Inc.) 15.

Results:

Female snorers and sleep apnea patients feel their QoL upmost impared through concern about their job performance (2.0 of LQ Score 1 – 4) and low acceptance of snoring in women (1.8), less by feeling depressed (2.4), uncertainty about them self and beiing ashamed because of snoring (2.5 and 2.8). Impaired partner love and sexual life didn't play a QoL role for most women (all items above 3.0).

Conclusion:

QoL assessment for women with SDB should contain questions regarding work perfomance, depressive mood and if one feels less accepted as a women with SDB in the social environment.

[1] Wimms A, Woehrle H, Ketheeswaran S, Ramanan D, Armitstead J. Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Women: Specific Issues and Interventions. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:1764837. Epub 2016 Sep 6.

[2] Iacono Isidoro S, Salvaggio A, Lo Bue A et al. Quality of life in patients at first time visit for sleep disorders of breathing at a sleep centre. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2013; 11:207. doi: 10.1186/1477 – 7525 – 11 – 207.