Investigation of Clinical, Physiological, and Polysomnographic Parameters in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

ABS TRACT Objective:This study aimed to examine clinical, physiological, and polysomnographic parameters in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), comparing positional and non-positional cases based on variations in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) between sleep positions.Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the records of 46 patients diagnosed with OSAS via overnight polysomnography from December 2023 to May 2024.Based on AHI differences in the supine and lateral positions, patients were classified as positional or non-positional.Parameters evaluated included demographic data, symptom prevalence, OSAS severity, polysomnographic metrics, and upper airway physical examination findings.Results: Non-positional patients reported more severe symptoms, with significantly higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores (134.6 vs. 8.183.21;p=0.032) and a greater prevalence of witnessed apnea (91% vs. 43.5%;p=0.023), insomnia (73.9% vs. 21.7%;p=0.002), and morning headaches (78.3% vs. 39%; p=0.034).Nasal obstruction was more common in positional patients (65% vs. 21.7%;p=0.008), who also demonstrated higher sleep efficiency (85.697.25% vs. 69.7911.23%;p=0.003).Severe OSAS was more frequent in nonpositional patients (65% vs. 22%; p=0.003).AHI values were significantly higher overall in non-positional patients (65.4920.49vs. 29.5615.23;p=0.000*) and supine/lateral positions.Conclusion: This study underscores distinct clinical and polysomnographic profiles between positional and non-positional OSAS patients, suggesting that positional therapy may benefit positional cases, whereas non-positional patients may require more comprehensive treatment.