Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Severity Is Negatively Associated with Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Outpatients with Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Japan

Kazuki Ito, Masahiro Uetsu, Ayaka Ubara, Arichika Matsuda, Yukiyoshi Sumi and Hiroshi Kadotani
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Kazuki Ito: Department of Anesthesiology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta-Tsukinowa-Cho, Otsu 520-2192, Japan
Masahiro Uetsu: Sleep Outpatient Unit for Sleep Apnea Syndrome, Nagahama City Hospital, 313 Ohinui-Cho, Nagahama 526-0043, Japan
Ayaka Ubara: Department of Psychiatry, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta-Tsukinowa-Cho, Otsu 520-2192, Japan
Arichika Matsuda: Department of Psychiatry, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta-Tsukinowa-Cho, Otsu 520-2192, Japan
Yukiyoshi Sumi: Department of Psychiatry, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta-Tsukinowa-Cho, Otsu 520-2192, Japan
Hiroshi Kadotani: Sleep Outpatient Unit for Sleep Apnea Syndrome, Nagahama City Hospital, 313 Ohinui-Cho, Nagahama 526-0043, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Multiple clinical departments are involved in the provision of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) therapy in Japan. Inconsistent results regarding the association between depression and OSA have been reported. Methods: This cross-sectional survey compared newly diagnosed OSA patients at two outpatient sleep apnoea units in Shiga Prefecture, Japan: one associated with the psychiatry department ( n = 583), and the other with the otolaryngology department ( n = 450). Results: The unit associated with the psychiatry department had more patients referred by psychiatrists than that with the otolaryngology department (11% vs. 3% p < 0.05). Sleepiness, insomnia, and depression were assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. The ESS, AIS, and PHQ-9 scores were higher in the sleep unit in the psychiatry department ( p < 0.001 each). Snoring and moderate to severe OSA were more prevalent in the unit attached to the otolaryngology department ( p < 0.001 each). Patients with moderate to severe OSA had lower PHQ-9 scores than those with no to mild OSA (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92–1.00, p = 0.042). Conclusion: Patients with sleepiness, insomnia, and depressive symptoms were more likely to attend a sleep outpatient unit associated with a psychiatry department, whereas those with snoring and sleep apnoea attended that associated with an otolaryngology department. OSA severity was negatively associated with depressive symptoms.

Keywords: obstructive sleep apnoea; sleepiness; insomnia; depression; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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