Compliance and Efficacy of Positive Airway Pressure Therapy in Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Related Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients

Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the compliance and treatment effects of both rapid eye movement sleep related obstructive sleep apnea (REM_ OSA) and non-stage specific OSA (NSOSA) patients prescribed with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. Subjects and Method Medical records of 223 patients diagnosed with OSA from July 2021 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Six-month PAP compliance, symptoms questionnaires were compared for 60 patients in the REMOSA group and 163 in the NSOSA group. Results For patients in mild NSOSA, mild REMOSA, moderate NSOSA, moderate REM_ OSA, severe NSOSA, and severe REMOSA groups, the compliance of six-month PAP was 50. 0%, 33. 3% (p=0. 467), 69. 6%, 58. 3% (p>0. 999), 70. 7%, and 0% (p=0. 023), respectively. In the NSOSA group, PAP led to significant daytime sleepiness score improvement (7. 3±3. 4 to 5. 7±3. 6, p=0. 022). In contrast, the scores for the REMOSA group changed insignificantly (8. 4±4. 7 to 6. 8±2. 9, p=0. 332). Conclusion This study revealed that PAP therapy compliance of the REMOSA group was not lower than that of the NSOSA group, except for the severe subgroup. However, REMOSA was found to be less effective in improving daytime sleepiness symptoms than NSOSA after PAP therapy.