The quality of life impact of snoring and the effect of laser palatoplasty

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Snoring is a common cause of marital disharmony and social embarrassment. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) have further impact on Quality of Life (QoL). AIMS: First, to compare the impact of snoring and OSA on QoL; second, to assess the impact of laser palatoplasty (LAUP) on QoL in snorers. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort comparison of 191 snorers (mean age 46 years; 132 men, 59 women), 57 patients with OSA (mean age 47 years; 49 men, 8 women), and 105 patients, at a mean of 12 months (range, 4-24 months) after LAUP (mean age 45 years; 82 men, 23 women). All completed the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the results were compared with established NHP population norms. RESULTS: The results are shown in Table 1. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest QoL study of snorers to date and shows that both snoring and OSA have clear impacts on all six NHP domains. The magnitude of the impact in snoring approaches that for OSA for most parameters. The impact of OSA on the sleep domain in men is significantly higher than that of snoring. Energy and emotional reaction domains are significantly improved by LAUP in both sexes, to levels approaching those in the normal population. Also pain, sleep, social isolation and mobility in habitual snorers was helped by surgery. The NHP generic QoL health status measure is a useful tool for the assessment of sleep disorders.

Socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviour, co-morbidity and accidents in snorers: a population survey

“…Snoring is one of the main symptoms of OSAS in adults, and it is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired quality of life and increased use of medical resources even in the absence of "full blown" sleep apnoea [10,17,18]. Nevertheless, snoring is still underdiagnosed and ignored throughout the world.…”

Single dose injection snoreplasty: investigation or treatment?

“…1,2 Many procedures have been designed to treat snoring due to palatal flutter, including uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, 3 laser-assisted palatoplasty, 4 cautery-assisted palatal stiffening, 5 radio frequency ablation of the soft palate, 6 mucosal strip uvulectomy 7 and traditional palatoplasty. When successful, they also improve patients' quality of life, 9 both for those with simple snoring and those with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. When successful, they also improve patients' quality of life, 9 both for those with simple snoring and those with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.…”

“…These procedures all work in some, but not all, snorers. When successful, they also improve patients' quality of life, 9 both for those with simple snoring and those with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. The difficulty lies in making the definitive diagnosis of palatal flutter as the cause of snoring, and deciding which patients should undergo which treatment.…”

“…Other measures of snoring, such as pressure monitoring, have tended to focus more on obstructive sleep apnoea. This procedure could help to localise obstruction and may be applicable in the future for simple snoring 9 . It would seem logical to investigate patients by temporarily stiffening the palate to stop flutter, and then to treat with more permanent surgery only those patients in whom the temporary procedure stops snoring.…”

Latest trends in the assessment and surgical management of snoring in England: a prospective questionnaire study

“…The benefits of surgery to treat snoring are often debated. However, there is increasing evidence that shows significant improvement in the quality of life for those affected after successful surgery …”