ORLANDO — Obstructive sleep apnea patients with symptoms of excessive sleepiness have the greatest risk of depression, based on data from a prospective study of 107 adults.
Data from previous studies have shown that self-reported depression is more common among women with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared with men with OSA, but data on the relationship among depression, severity of OSA, and sleepiness are limited, said Dr. Stacey Ishman of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
Dr. Ishman and her colleagues evaluated 56 consecutive OSA patients aged 27-74 years who presented to an otolaryngology clinic and compared them with 51 controls. The average age of patients and controls alike was 47 years. A total of 61% of the OSA patients were male.
Overall, significantly more OSA patients met the criteria for depression, compared with controls (29% vs. 8%). The severity of OSA (measured using the Respiratory Disturbance Index) was a significant predictor of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores, but BDI scores were not correlated with the severity of OSA.
These findings suggest that “depression may be significant even in patients with mild OSA,” Dr. Ishman said at the meeting jointly sponsored by the Triological Society and the American College of Surgeons. BDI scores were significantly correlated with higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores, but the ESS did not correlate with sleep apnea severity.
Disclosures: Dr. Ishman had no financial conflicts to disclose.