Citation

Minemura H, Akashiba T, Yamamoto H, Suzuki R, Itoh D, Kurashina K, Yoshizawa T, Horie T. Nihon Kyobu Shikkan Gakkai Zasshi 1993; 31(9): 1103-1108.

Affiliation

First Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Japan Society Of Chest Diseases)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8255019

Abstract

We studied the traffic accident rates and daytime sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patient, and evaluated the effectiveness of long-term nasal CPAP treatment. Traffic accidents were observed in 42% of 14 male OSAS patients (46 +/- 7 years old) and near-miss accidents were also observed in 64% during the past three years. Stanford Sleepiness Scale showed 4.7 +/- 1.0, suggesting marked excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). During NCPAP treatment for 11 +/- 9 months, no traffic and near-miss accidents were reported. After NCPAP treatment, SSS decreased to 2.0 +/- 0.8, and the score of Uchida-Kraeplin test for the evaluation of working ability increased significantly. These results suggest the improvement of EDS and working ability following NCPAP treatment. We conclude that OSAS patients have the tendency of daytime sleepiness and high traffic accidents rates, and NCPAP treatment is effective to improve such problems.

Language: ja