Today obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a public health issue, since it increases cardiovascular morbidity-mortality rate and the risk of car crashes. Overnight polysomnography is the gold standard for diagnosis and follow-up of affected patients. However, because the test is expensive, time-consuming and of difficult access, others methods have been proposed. Although the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is subjective, the questionnaire is simple, easy to be applied and free of charge. AIM: to compare Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), measured by polysomnography, in patients diagnosed with OSAHS. STUDY DESIGN: clinical retrospective study. METHOD: chart analysis of 66 patients complaining from snoring, who underwent surgery (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with/without nasal surgery). ESS score and AHI were evaluated before and after surgery. RESULTS: 78% of patients with normal AHI, scored < 10 in the ESS and 65% of patients with severe AHI scored >10. There were no statistically significant results for groups presenting mild and moderate apnea. CONCLUSION: ESS can detect normal and severe levels of apnea, but is not able to detect mild and moderate levels. Therefore, ESS can be used in the follow-up of patients with OSAHS, however, it cannot replace polysomnography because it does not detect all levels of apnea.
obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome; Epworth Sleepiness Scale; polysomnography; apnea-hypopnea index
