Quality of life of obstructive sleep apnoea patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure treatment

Background Previous studies have shown conflicting results on the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on quality of life (QoL) in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients. Objectives To evaluate the effect of CPAP on QoL in OSA patients compared to sham CPAP, placebo pills, and conservative treatment. Methods Studies were identified via Web of Knowledge, PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, EMBASE, OpenGrey, and the Cochrane Library. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Results Meta-analysis of 13 randomised controlled trials showed no significant differences in overall and psychological QoL comparing values of CPAP treated patients with controls; however, physical QoL improved. CPAP significantly affected the overall QoL in studies with controls receiving sham CPAP, parallel design, low risk of bias, and mild OSA patients. Conclusion CPAP treatment may help to improve physical symptoms of OSA, whereas impaired psychological QoL still cannot be alleviated.