OSA score
Question:
newsuser <newsuser1…@sometimes.yahoo.com> wrote: >I asked my referring doctor (an ENT) for an objective score when I >was diagnosed with OSA. He said mine was 14 (point something,) which I >believe related to events per hour when I had my sleep test. Can >someone point me to a source that might discusses this number, its >meaning, severity, etc?
That’s the Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI), here’s a good overview of OSA’s cause(s) and treatment(s). http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2697.htm The AHI rankings are … Mild – Five to 15 episodes per hour Moderate – Fifteen to 30 episodes per hour Severe – More than 30 episodes per hour …. so you’re right on edge of Moderate, and really should get treatment. (But you probably knew that.) Note that the 40% success rate quoted for a Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP around here) is only in the short term. The actual long term cure rate seems to be no better than one person in six. (The figures are inflated by counting a 50% reduction in AHI as successful, even when the patient still suffers from the effects of OSA.) Nasal CPAP is the current Gold Standard in OSA treatment and it’s what almost everyone here is using. Please try it before anything else, we can help you through the initial teething period. Please keep us posted, and feel free to ask as many questions as you like. We’re a generally friendly bunch, and we _love_ to help. 
Tom
Response:
I asked my referring doctor (an ENT) for an objective score when I was diagnosed with OSA. He said mine was 14 (point something,) which I believe related to events per hour when I had my sleep test. Can someone point me to a source that might discusses this number, its meaning, severity, etc? Thanks in advance
Response:
On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 09:09:16 -0800, newsuser <newsuser1…@sometimes.yahoo.com> wrote: >I asked my referring doctor (an ENT) for an objective score when I >was diagnosed with OSA. He said mine was 14 (point something,) which I >believe related to events per hour when I had my sleep test. Can >someone point me to a source that might discusses this number, its >meaning, severity, etc? >Thanks in advance
There is a fairly standard statistically based measure called Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index or AHI. There are then Apnoea and Hypopnoea Indices which are taken together to give the AHI figure. These are both measured in terms of events per hour. An apnoea event is normally defined as being a greater than 75% decrease in ventilation, while a hypopnoea is normally defined as 50-75%. They are an attempt to apply a standardised measurement to a biological system (i.e. you), and of course people vary. However, the measurements can be done quite effectively. The numbers chosen are somewhat arbitrary (i.e. it could just as reasonably been 53 to 78.5% and so on) – the point is consistency of measurement criteria. An AHI of 14 is neither the worst case nor the least in the global scheme of things. The top end can be tens of events per hour. Treatment criteria vary from place to place, but generally reducing AHI to under 10 or under 5 are the most commonly used. You mention involvement with an ENT. Please take a look through previous threads on this. There have been numerous ENT procedures (UPPP being the most well known). Unfortunately they have a poor success rate and in some countries have been all but abandoned as an OSA treatment. One problem is that the effectiveness in reduction of AHI is not often good. THe ENT surgeon might say 2:1 but this may not be achieved. Secondly, the effectiveness is often not maintained in the long term. Thirdly, it may leave the patient with an inability to use other treatments such as CPAP. Generally CPAP is considered to be the gold standard in OSA treatment and has the advantage of being non invasive and non permanent. In the unlikely event of it not working, the patient is not going to be permanently damaged. I would suggest seeking a referral to a sleep specialist or pulmonologist. Much safer option. — .andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
